Lebanon says four months needed for second phase of Hezbollah disarmament

"Lebanon's government has said that its military will need at least four months to complete the second phase of its plan to dismantle Hezbollah's arsenals in the country's south. The announcement by Minister of Information Paul Morcos on Monday comes amid growing pressure from the United States and Israel to disarm Hezbollah, including near-daily Israeli attacks on the country. list of 4 itemsend of list The bombings come despite Israel agreeing to a US-brokered ceasefire in 2024 to end more than a year of cross-border hostilities"

"Under the ceasefire deal, Lebanon's government committed to dismantling Hezbollah's arsenal and tasked its military with drawing up a plan to do so. The military said last month that it had completed the first phase of the five stage plan, covering the area between the Litani River and the country's southern border with Israel. The second phase concerns the area between the Litani and the Awali rivers, about 40km (25 miles) south of the Lebanese capital, Beirut."

"There is a timeframe of four months, extendable depending on available capabilities, Israeli attacks and hindrances on the ground, he said. Hezbollah, which has dismissed efforts to disarm it as a US-Israeli plan, has rejected calls to surrender weapons north of the Litani River, saying it understands the ceasefire agreement to apply exclusively south of the waterway."

Lebanon's government says the military will need at least four months to complete the second phase of dismantling Hezbollah's arsenals in the south. The army completed the first phase covering the area between the Litani River and the southern border with Israel. The second phase targets the area between the Litani and Awali rivers, about 40km south of Beirut. The four-month timeframe is extendable depending on capabilities, Israeli attacks and hindrances on the ground. Hezbollah rejects calls to surrender weapons north of the Litani, asserting the ceasefire applies only south of the waterway. Hezbollah leadership condemned government focus on disarmament as a "grave sin."

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