Lebanese Army arrests 27 for weapons possession as Hezbollah military activity banned

The Lebanese Army said Wednesday it had arrested 27 people in the past two days for "illegally possessing weapons and ammunition", following a government decision to ban Hezbollah's military activities.

In a statement, the army said troops at its checkpoints "detained over the past two days 26 Lebanese nationals and one Palestinian in several areas for illegally possessing weapons and ammunition."

It added that the move was part of "exceptional measures to maintain security and prevent armed displays in various regions".

The Lebanese state banned the military activities of Hezbollah on Monday after the pro-Iran group launched rockets towards Israel in retaliation for the killing of the Islamic republic's supreme leader.

The United States and Israel launched deadly strikes on Iran on Saturday that killed Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran retaliated swiftly with missile fire targeting Israel and also launched strikes against several countries in the region, saying it was aiming at U.S. assets.