Lebanese Army Announces Completion of Hezbollah Disarmament South of the Litani River

SadaNews - The Lebanese Army announced today, Thursday, the completion of the disarmament of Hezbollah south of the Litani River, stating that it has achieved "the objectives of the first phase" of the plan to limit weapons to the state, which includes an area extending thirty kilometers from the border with Israel.

In a statement, the army confirmed that its plan to limit weapons has entered an advanced stage after effectively and significantly achieving the goals of the first phase on the ground, which included "asserting operational control over the areas that have come under its authority in the southern Litani sector, with the exception of the lands and sites still occupied by Israel."

The Lebanese army emphasized that "operations in the sector are still ongoing, until the processing of unexploded ordnance and tunnels is completed, in addition to requests for measures to stabilize control, aiming to prevent armed groups from rebuilding their capabilities in an irreversible manner."

In August, the government approved limiting arms to legitimate forces under a ceasefire that ended a year-long war between Hezbollah and Israel in November 2024.

The government then tasked the army with developing a plan to limit arms, which was expected to complete the first phase covering the area south of the Litani River by the end of 2025.

Since then, the army has been working to dismantle facilities and tunnels belonging to Hezbollah and seize weapons from them. However, Israel, which continues to launch strikes particularly in southern Lebanon, questions the effectiveness of the army's steps and accuses Hezbollah of restoring its military capabilities.

According to the ceasefire agreement, Israel was supposed to withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon, but it has maintained its presence in five sites considered strategic.

In this context, the army noted in its statement that "the continuation of Israeli assaults on Lebanese territory and the occupation of a number of sites within it... all of this negatively impacts the completion of the required tasks, especially in the vicinity of these areas, and consequently on the enforcement of the Lebanese state's authority and limiting weapons to its armed forces without exception."

The Lebanese government is scheduled to hold a session on Thursday to hear from Army Commander Rudolf Hike about the progress made by the army in implementing the plan, amid American pressures and concerns about Israel expanding its operations more than a year after the ceasefire took effect following a devastating war with Hezbollah.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said on X platform on Sunday that the Lebanese government and army have made efforts to disarm Hezbollah, but he stated that they are "far from being sufficient."