Israeli foreign minister says Hezbollah disarmament efforts insufficient

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar met with the UN Special Coordinator, Jeanine Hennis, on Sunday to discuss the latest developments regarding regional security, and also expressed that Hezbollah’s disarmament efforts were insufficient.

In the meeting with Hennis, Sa’ar also discussed the future of Lebanon.

In a follow-up post on X, he wrote: "I reiterated the importance of Hezbollah’s disarmament for both Israel’s security and Lebanon’s future".

"Efforts have been made in this regard by the Lebanese government and the Lebanese Armed Forces, but they are far from sufficient, among other things, in light of Hezbollah’s efforts to rearm and rebuild, with Iranian support," he added.

Hennis’ office later issued a statement saying the discussions further centred on advancing the implementation of the 1701 resolution and the November 2024 cessation of hostilities agreement.

The comments come as Israel continues to strike Lebanon, claiming it is targeting Hezbollah and that the Iran-backed group is secretly rebuilding.

Lebanese authorities have been working towards disarming groups in the country, particularly Hezbollah, with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam reiterating that the group should follow government processes and surrender all weapons.

Israeli officials have previously stated that Lebanon has not disarmed groups quickly enough, while Beirut maintains that the process is underway.

The Lebanese army was expected to have completed disarmament efforts in the region south of the Litani River - located around 30km away from the border with Israel- by the end of 2025, before moving on to other parts of the country.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said the group has agreed to end their military presence south of the Litani river but vowed again last month that it will keep its weapons in other parts of Lebanon.

The latest developments come as Lebanon’s cabinet is set to meet on Thursday to discuss the army’s progress.

The ceasefire monitoring committee, made up of Lebanon, the US, France, Israel, and UN peacekeepers are also set to meet this week, according to Lebanese media reports.

Conflict between Israel and Hezbollah erupted following the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023, with both parties engaging in cross-border fire.

The conflict came to a head in September 2024, when Israel launched a widespread bombardment of Lebanon that killed more than 4,000 Lebanese, including leading members of Hezbollah. Israel then went on to invade Lebanon.

The war ended in November 2024 with a ceasefire brokered by the US.

Israel has carried out almost daily airstrikes since then, in violation of the ceasefire, and has killed more than 300 people since.