Lebanon army says phase one of disarming non-state groups in south complete

"The Lebanese army has announced the completion of the first phase of its plan to bring all non-state weaponry in the south of the country under its control, covering the area between the Litani river and the Israeli border. In a statement on Thursday, the army said it had established a state monopoly on arms in the south in an effective and tangible way, without specifically mentioning Hezbollah."

"The military now controls the area south of the Litani river, located about 30km (19 miles) from the border, with the exception of territory and positions still occupied by Israel, the statement added. The announcement comes amid growing pressure from the United States and Israel for Beirut to disarm Hezbollah, while Israel escalates strikes across Lebanon despite a ceasefire agreed in 2024."

"The Lebanese army, which had set a self-imposed deadline of the end of 2025 to complete the first part of its multi-phase plan to disarm all non-state groups, caveated that more work was needed to clear unexploded ordnance and tunnels in the area. A Lebanese security source told Reuters news agency that the statement signalled that no group would be able to launch attacks from southern Lebanon."

The Lebanese army announced completion of the first phase of a plan to bring all non-state weaponry in the south under its control, covering the area between the Litani river and the Israeli border. The military said it established a state monopoly on arms in the south while not mentioning Hezbollah. The army now controls territory south of the Litani, about 30 km from the border, except Israeli-occupied positions. More work remains to clear unexploded ordnance and tunnels. A security source said the move prevents groups from launching attacks from southern Lebanon. The government will consider a phase two extending north to the Awali river.

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