BEIRUT: U.N. Security Council resolution 1701 calls for the "disarmament all armed groups" in Lebanon, U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag said Monday, implicitly responding to President Michel Aoun's remarks on Hezbollah's arms.

"Recalling SCR [Security Council resolution] 1701 [is] vital for Lebanon's stability [and] security," Kaag said in a tweet.

The resolution "calls for disarmament all armed groups. No arms outside [the] control of state," she added.

The resolution ended the 2006 Israeli war against Lebanon after calling for an immediate end of hostilities, the deployment of the Lebanese Army and establishment of a weapons-free zone south of the Litani River.

It stipulated, among other things, the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon.

The Kataeb Party Monday also rejected the presence of arms in Lebanon outside the state's authority.

"All arms but the legitimate arms... contradict the state project," the Kataeb said in a statement issued after its weekly meeting, chaired by the party's chief Sami Gemayel.

The Lebanese Army and Security Forces solely "have the right to defend Lebanon's territories, people and state institutions, the statement continued, and called on Lebanese to respect U.N. resolutions, particularly Security Council resolution 1701.

Kaag’s tweets come two days after Aoun said that Hezbollah’s military wing was a crucial part of Lebanon’s defenses and acts as a complement to the Lebanese Army.

The president added that he believed the group’s arms “don’t conflict with the state [security apparatus but are] ... an essential part of defending Lebanon.”

He made his comments during an interview with Egypt’s CBC TV channel on Saturday.

The president cited Israel’s continued occupation of Lebanese territories and ongoing tensions over natural resources as a need for Hezbollah to bolster the state’s military capabilities.

“As long as the Army doesn’t have the needed power to fend off [Israel’s] threats ... We feel the need for [Hezbollah’s] weapons to be there to complement the role of the Army,” he said.

Hezbollah is a recognized political actor in the Lebanese government, and one of the many parties to back Aoun in his October 2016 election. However, the militarized component of the group continues to cause controversy, with several major Lebanese parties saying Hezbollah’s weapons are illegitimate and should be surrendered to the state.

Aoun dismissed these concerns, saying he believed Hezbollah’s arms would not cause internal conflict.

“Hezbollah knows the limit of [its arms’] use and we ... will not allow that the matter to evolve into [a breach of] Lebanon’s security.”