Israel on Thursday said efforts made to disarm Hezbollah by the Lebanese army and government were an encouraging start but far from sufficient.
The warning came shortly after Lebanon's army said it had completed the first phase of its disarmament plan in the South Litani region near the Israeli border, while acknowledging more work was needed to clear tunnels and unexploded ordnance.
The Lebanese Armed Forces had set a year-end deadline to clear non-state weaponry from the south as part of this initial phase, before moving on to other areas of the country – a process expected to be more complicated due to political sensitivity.
A senior Lebanese military official said the areas south of the Litani River were effectively inactive and under the control of the Lebanese army. Any delays, the official said, stemmed from difficult terrain where former Hezbollah weapons caches had been found, as well as a shortage of equipment to destroy them safely.
But while the military official insisted the first stage had concluded, he warned phase two was “much more” complex because Hezbollah has accepted disarmament only south of the Litani River.
Any further steps would require a cabinet decision, the official said, adding that the army implements state policy and does not set it.
Civil peace
Army commander Gen Rodolphe Haykal delivered his monthly briefing to the Lebanese Cabinet on Thursday. After the meeting, Information Minister Paul Morcos said the army would present a plan to disarm areas north of the Litani River to the Cabinet next month.
The military official said the army did not anticipate being forced into a confrontation with Hezbollah and that maintaining “civil peace” remained the priority.
Many fear that if Lebanon tries to push Hezbollah too hard to disarm, there could be a violent reaction whether from the group itself or its large and still fervent support base.
"We do not want to implement a decision at the expense of internal security," said the official. "I don’t have a clear idea of what we will do in the second phase as an army. We have to implement the decision, that’s what we know.
"It’s impossible [for the government] to give us a decision that is not implementable."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made clear his dissatisfaction with what he sees as slow progress. "The ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States between Israel and Lebanon states clearly, Hezbollah must be fully disarmed," the Israeli Prime Minister's office said on X. "This is imperative for Israel's security and Lebanon's future.
"Efforts made towards 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."
Israel has repeatedly claimed – without providing evidence – that Hezbollah is seeking to rebuild and rise again. Lebanese officials and the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (Unifil) say they have seen nothing to support the Israeli claims.
10,000 Lebanese troops deployed to south
Earlier on Thursday, the Lebanese army said in a statement there was now a state monopoly on arms in the south, achieved in an "effective and tangible way". The initial stage focused on expanding the army's presence and control over the south, excluding areas still occupied by Israeli troops.
“Work in the sector remains ongoing, including clearing unexploded ordnance and tunnels, as well as other operational tasks to prevent armed groups from rebuilding their capabilities,” the army said. A comprehensive evaluation of the first phase will feed into the next stages of disarmament, it added.
Around 10,000 Lebanese soldiers have been deployed to south Lebanon.
The army statement did not mention Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, which fought a year-long war with Israel that ended in a US and French-brokered ceasefire in 2024 that stipulated that only Lebanon’s state security forces were allowed to carry arms.
Under the truce terms, Hezbollah and Israeli forces were required to withdraw from southern Lebanon, where UN peacekeepers were deployed alongside the Lebanese army to help dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure.
But Israel is still occupying five positions it considers strategically vital in the south and continues to carry out daily strikes in Lebanon on what it says are Hezbollah targets.
The army noted that ongoing Israeli attacks, continued occupation of certain sites and daily ceasefire violations have slowed progress of the disarmament plan, alongside delays in the delivery of promised military equipment.
Fears of another Israeli assault
Lebanon has faced growing pressure from the US and Israel to disarm Iran-backed Hezbollah. There are fears that Israel could escalate strikes across the battered country in a bid to push Lebanon's leaders to confiscate Hezbollah's arsenal.
Israeli broadcaster Kan reported on Wednesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ministers that US President Donald Trump had given Israel a “green light” to act in Lebanon. It did not say, though, whether a major assault on the Lebanese group is imminent.
The Lebanese military said it continues to co-ordinate with the Unifil and the ceasefire monitoring mechanism, highlighting continuing co-operation in stabilising the South Litani region.
The committee overseeing the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire agreement held its first meeting this year on Wednesday. It came after Israel this week repeatedly launched strikes on areas of Lebanon far from the border region where most of its bombing since the ceasefire was agreed on has taken place.
Lebanese officials said the timing of the attacks – ahead of the mechanism meeting – was a deliberate attempt by Israel to crank up the pressure and accelerate the disarmament process.
At the meeting, Lebanon said it remains committed to the terms of the truce with Israel − including co-operation from Hezbollah − but that Israel is escalating violations and refusing to withdraw from occupied positions, Lebanese parliamentary and political sources said.
