MP Ashraf Rifi confirmed that “Ali Al-Taher Hill is Lebanese land, and does not belong to Hezbollah,” noting that the Lebanese army has the exclusive authority to protect and defend it. Rifi stressed, "If Hezbollah refuses to hand over Ali al-Taher Hill to the army, and stipulates gains in return, this is not a settlement, but rather blackmail of the state and confiscation of its sovereignty." He pointed out that: “No one has the right to negotiate over state land, nor to ask for a price to hand it over to the state.” He concluded: It is time to end the logic of the statelet, and limit weapons and military and security decisions to the Lebanese state alone.