Lebanon ‘days away’ from completing phase one of disarmament plan, says Salam

The first phase of a government-backed, army plan to disarm south Lebanon is days away from completion before moving onto phase two, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Saturday.

Lebanon remains under great US and Israeli pressure to speed up the disarmament process of Iran-backed Hezbollah, amid fears of another Israeli war.

"Prime Minister Salam affirmed that the first phase of the weapons consolidation plan related to the area south of the Litani River is only days away from completion," a statement from Salam’s office said.

"The state is ready to move on to the second phase - namely (confiscating weapons) north of the Litani River - based on the plan prepared by the Lebanese Army pursuant to a mandate from the government," Salam added.

The premier stressed the need to provide all necessary support to the Lebanese Army to enable it to fully carry out its national duties. A conference will be held in Paris in February with the aim of supporting Lebanon’s cash-strapped military.

In an unprecedented decision, the Lebanese cabinet in September approved an army plan to disarm Hezbollah, vowing to end decades of military dualism in the country and implement a ceasefire agreement reached last year.

Despite the November 2024 ceasefire brokered by the US, Israel has continued to carry out strikes on Lebanese territory, claiming it is targeting Hezbollah.

Tel Aviv has repeatedly threatened that it could launch another offensive if Lebanese authorities do not confiscate Hezbollah’s arms in the south more quickly.

The five-stage plan begins from south of the Litani River, adjacent to the Israeli border, then moves north of the Litani, still in southern Lebanon. The other three stages then move into Beirut’s southern suburbs, the eastern Beqaa region, and any other areas where Hezbollah may have weapons and infrastructure.

The plan also includes the deployment of thousands of more troops in the south.

Lebanon’s army has in recent days discovered several weapons caches and tunnels belonging to Hezbollah. On Friday, the army said one facility it found in the south would take days to dismantle. Lebanese soldiers have also conducted searches at private properties after being tipped off by a ceasefire monitoring committee known as the ‘mechanism’.

The army has said its searches are necessary to try to prevent Israeli strikes on these targets.

Salam made his comments on Saturday after being briefed by Simon Karam, recently appointed as Beirut’s top civilian negotiator in the mechanism. Israel has also sent civilian representatives to these meetings, making it the first time diplomats from the two enemy states have participated in direct talks since 1983.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has said his country’s decision to include civilian representatives was to prevent a second war with Israel and try to solve the conflict through diplomatic channels. Lebanese media reports have suggested that more civilian experts could be added to the mechanism meetings.

Hezbollah - which emerged significantly weakened from its war with Israel last year - has publicly refused to hand over its weapons, insisting that it was abiding by the ceasefire deal by handing over its arsenal south of the Litani.

Observers say the Lebanese Army’s next phase in disarming the rest of south Lebanon and eventually other regions will prove to be challenging if Hezbollah continues to oppose the decision.

Earlier Saturday, Salam received his Irish counterpart Micheál Martin, who is visiting his country’s contingent serving within the UN peacekeeping mission in south Lebanon.