BEIRUT — Lebanon's president Saturday says the government cannot ask Hizbollah to give up its weapons at a time of heightened tension with Israel. A UN deal to end the 2006 war between Israel and the Shi'ite militants required Hizbollah to disarm, but Lebanon's politicians have been unable to agree on a national defence strategy that would integrate the group's weapons into the regular armed forces. President Michel Suleiman said Saturday that Lebanon "cannot and must not" tell Hizbollah to disarm before reaching a deal on a defence strategy that would also address any future Israeli attacks. A recent Israeli claim that Hizbollah's arsenal includes Scud missiles transferred from Syria has provoked another exchange of warnings between Israel and Lebanon.
