The Lebanese government is signaling a major milestone in its efforts to stabilize the south, claiming that the disarmament of Hezbollah units south of the Litani River is now just “days away” from completion.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced the progress on Saturday, marking a critical juncture in the US-backed ceasefire agreement reached last year. The deal, which ended over fourteen months of devastating cross-border warfare between Israel and the Shia armed group, hinges on the state’s ability to reclaim a monopoly on the use of force.
Under the terms of the truce, Lebanese authorities are racing against a year-end deadline to clear sophisticated weaponry from the border regions. This first phase focuses on the immediate frontier, a stretch of rugged terrain that has served as the primary launchpad for decades of conflict.
“The state is ready to move on to the second phase,” Salam’s office confirmed in a statement. This next step involves the more politically sensitive task of seizing arms caches north of the Litani, following a strategic plan developed by the Lebanese Armed Forces.
The announcement follows a high-level meeting between Salam and Simon Karam, the lead civilian negotiator on the committee monitoring the truce. The atmosphere in Beirut remains tense, as the government attempts to balance international pressure with a delicate domestic security situation.
On the ground, the transition is far from seamless. While the Lebanese army has been tasked with enforcing the new order since August, the shadow of Israeli air power remains. Recent weeks have seen sporadic Israeli strikes across the south and into Beirut, actions Israel defends as necessary responses to what it calls “truce violations.”
Israel remains publicly skeptical of Beirut’s capacity to fully disarm Hezbollah. Military officials in Tel Aviv have repeatedly warned that they reserve the right to act unilaterally if the Lebanese state fails to meet its year-end obligations.
For Hezbollah, the pressure is mounting from multiple sides. Beyond the Israeli threat, the group faces internal pushback from Lebanese political rivals who argue that a private militia no longer has a place in a sovereign nation. Hezbollah leaders, however, maintain that surrendering their arsenal while Israeli jets still patrol Lebanese skies is a strategic risk they are reluctant to take.
Meanwhile, in the coastal town of Naqoura, civilian members of the monitoring committee are shifting their focus toward the human cost of the conflict. Discussions on Friday centered on the return of thousands of displaced residents and the daunting task of economic reconstruction.
For the families waiting to return to their villages, the technicalities of disarmament are secondary to the need for a lasting peace. The success of this first phase may determine whether the coming year brings a genuine recovery or a return to the cycle of violence.
