Lebanon is close to completing the disarmament of Hezbollah south of the Litani River, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Saturday, according to Reuters, as the country races to fulfill a key requirement of its ceasefire agreement with Israel before the end-of-year deadline.
The US-backed ceasefire, reached in November 2024, ended more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. Under the terms, the Iran-backed organization was required to disarm, beginning in areas south of the river that border Israel.
Lebanese authorities, led by President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Salam, charged the Lebanese Armed Forces - with US support - on August 5 to devise a plan ensuring a state monopoly on arms by year’s end.
“Prime Minister Salam affirmed that the first phase of the weapons consolidation plan related to the area south of the Litani River is only days away from completion,” a statement from his office said on Saturday.
“The state is ready to move on to the second phase - namely (confiscating weapons) north of the Litani River - based on the plan prepared by the Lebanese army pursuant to a mandate from the government,” Salam added.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has condemned the Lebanese government's plan to disarm the terror organization and has repeatedly vowed that Hezbollah would keep its arms.
Since the ceasefire took effect, Hezbollah has violated it 1,925 times, including 350 violations that went unanswered by both the IDF and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).
Israel has struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon even after the ceasefire went into effect, due to the fact that the terrorist organization continues to rebuild its military infrastructure and maintain an armed presence near Israel’s northern border.