BEIRUT (AP) — The Lebanese military said Thursday it had concluded the first phase of their plan to fully deploy across southern Lebanon and disarm non-state groups, notably Hezbollah. Israel said it is encouraging but “far from sufficient.”
The effort to disarm Hezbollah comes after a Washington-brokered ceasefire ended a war between the group and Israel in 2024.
The military's statement didn't name Hezbollah or other armed groups in particular, but
it comes before President Joseph Aoun is set to meet with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and his government to discuss the deployment and disarmament plans. Both said disarming non-state groups was a priority upon beginning their terms not long after the ceasefire went into effect.
Lebanon's top officials have endorsed the military announcement.
A statement by Aoun’s office ahead of the meeting called on Israel to stop its attacks, withdraw from areas it occupies, and release Lebanese prisoners. He called on friendly countries not to send weapons to Lebanon unless it's to state institutions — an apparent reference to Iran which for decades has sent weapons and munitions to Hezbollah.
Speaker Nabih Berri, a key ally of Hezbollah who played a leading role in ceasefire talks, issued a statement saying the people of southern Lebanon are “thirsty for the army's presence and protection."
Israel maintains that despite Lebanon’s efforts, Hezbollah is still attempting to rearm itself in southern Lebanon.
“The ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States between Israel and Lebanon states clearly, Hezbollah must be fully disarmed," a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office read. “This is imperative for Israel’s security and Lebanon’s future.”
The text of the ceasefire agreement is vague as to how Hezbollah’s weapons and military facilities north of the Litani river should be treated, saying Lebanese authorities should dismantle unauthorized facilities starting with the area south of the river.
Hezbollah insists that the agreement only applies south of the Litani, while Israel maintains that it applies to the whole country. The Lebanese government has said it will eventually remove non-state weapons throughout the country.
The Lebanese military has been clearing tunnels, rocket-launching positions, and other structures since its disarmament proposal was approved by the government and went into effect in September.
The government had set a deadline of the end of 2025 to clear the area south of the Litani River of non-state weapons.
“The army confirms that its plan to restrict weapons has entered an advanced stage, after achieving the goals of the first phase effectively and tangibly on the ground,” the military statement read.
“Work in the sector is ongoing until the unexploded ordnance and tunnels are cleared ... with the aim of preventing armed groups from irreversibly rebuilding their capabilities,” it said.
Hezbollah did not immediately comment on the Lebanese military’s announcement.
Officials have said the next stage of the disarmament plan is in segments of southern Lebanon between the Litani and the Awali River, which include Lebanon’s port city of Sidon, but they have not set a timeline for that phase.
Israel still strikes Lebanon near daily and occupies five strategic hilltop points along the border, the only areas south of the Litani where the military said it has yet to control.
Regular meetings have taken place between the Lebanese and the Israelis alongside the United States, France, and the U.N. peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, to monitor developments after the ceasefire.
Lebanon’s cash-strapped military has since been gradually dispersing across wide areas of southern Lebanon between the Litani River and the U.N.-demarcated “Blue Line” that separates the tiny country from Israel. The military has also been slowly confiscating weapons from armed Palestinian factions in refugee camps.
Israel accuses Hezbollah of trying to rebuild its battered military capacity and has said that the Lebanese military’s efforts are not sufficient, raising fears of a new escalation. Lebanon, meanwhile, said Israel's strikes and control of the hilltops were an obstacle to the efforts.
Lebanon also hopes that disarming Hezbollah and other non-state groups will help to bring in money needed for reconstruction after the 2024 war.
Hezbollah says it has been cooperative with the army in the south but will not discuss disarming elsewhere before Israel stops its strikes and withdraws from Lebanese territory.
The latest Israel-Hezbollah conflict began the day after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel triggered the war in Gaza. The militant group Hezbollah, largely based in southern Lebanon, began firing rockets into Israel in support of Hamas and the Palestinians.
Israel responded with airstrikes and shelling. The low-level conflict escalated into full-scale war in September 2024. Israeli strikes killed much of Hezbollah's senior leadership and left the group severely weakened.
Hezbollah still has political clout, holding a large number of seats in parliament representing the Shiite Muslim community and two cabinet ministers.
