The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Thursday morning stressed the importance of hewing to the November 2024 Israel-Lebanon ceasefire agreement, stressing its importance for Israel's security.
"The ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States between Israel and Lebanon states clearly, Hezbollah must be fully disarmed," the PMO statement read.
It emphasized, "This is imperative for Israel's security and Lebanon's future."
"Efforts made toward this end by the Lebanese Government and the Lebanese Armed Forces are an encouraging beginning, but they are far from sufficient, as evidenced by Hezbollah's efforts to rearm and rebuild its terror infrastructure with Iranian support."
Earlier on Thursday, the Lebanese Army declared that it has full control over the area south of the Litani River.
"In implementation of the decision of the Lebanese Cabinet issued on August 5, 2025, the Army affirms its full commitment to assuming and exercising exclusive responsibility for maintaining security and stability in Lebanon, alongside all security agencies, particularly in the area south of the Litani River," a Lebanese Army statement posted on social media read.
The statement added, "In this context, the Army affirms that its plan to restrict arms has entered an advanced stage, following the effective and tangible achievement of the objectives of the first phase on the ground. This phase focused on expanding the Army's operational presence, securing vital areas, and establishing operational control over the territories that have come under its authority in the south of the Litani sector, with the exception of the lands and positions that remain under Israeli occupation."
"The Army points out that operations in the sector are still ongoing, pending the completion of addressing unexploded ordnance and tunnels, in addition to Requests for Action (RFAs), to consolidate control, with the aim of preventing armed groups from rebuilding their capabilities, in an irreversible manner."
The Lebanese army statement also claimed that "the continuation of Israeli aggressions on Lebanese territories and the occupation of a number of positions within them, accompanied by the establishment of buffer zones that restrict access to some areas, in addition to the ongoing daily violations of the ceasefire agreement issued on November 27, 2024, all of this negatively impacts the accomplishment of the required tasks, especially in the vicinity of these areas, and consequently the extension of the Lebanese state's authority and the restriction of arms to its armed forces without exception."
"Added to this is the delay in the arrival of the promised military capabilities to the Army, which constitutes an influencing factor in the pace of implementing the tasks."
The statement stressed, "These combined factors necessitate urgent and serious treatment. ... The Army also affirms the continuation of coordination and joint work with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and with the ceasefire monitoring mechanism, in a manner that contributes to strengthening stability in the area south of the Litani River."
In recent months, the Hezbollah terror group has been working to rebuild its military capabilities, and the Hamas terror group has also begun building infrastructure in southern Lebanon. Recent reports indicate that Israel is weighing another operation on the northern border, to eliminate the terror groups' renewed capacities.
Lebanese authorities charged the Lebanese Armed Forces on August 5, 2025 to devise a plan ensuring a state monopoly on arms by the end of December 2025.
Hezbollah, however, has condemned the Lebanese government's plan to disarm the terror organization and has repeatedly vowed to keep its arms.