(JNS) The Lebanese Armed Forces said Thursday it has completed the first phase of its national disarmament plan, expanding its control in the country’s south as part of efforts to “extend the state’s authority exclusively through its own forces over the entirety of Lebanese territory.”

In a statement, the army said it had “achieved the objectives of the first phase” of the plan, which focused on “expanding the Army’s operational presence, securing vital areas, and extending operational control” in the South Litani Sector, excluding land “that remains under Israeli occupation.”

Israel continues to hold five strategic hilltop positions inside Southern Lebanon along the border, citing the need to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its attack capabilities near Israeli communities.

The “Shield of the Homeland” (Dir al‑Watan) plan is the Lebanese army’s official five‑phase roadmap to disarm all non‑state militias in Lebanon, with a focus on Hezbollah.

Lebanese Armed Forces commander Gen. Rodolphe Haykal and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Dec. 20 that the military was finishing the first phase of its disarmament plan.

Thursday’s statement did not mention Iran’s Lebanese terrorist proxy Hezbollah, which attacked Israel the day after the Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, opening a second front on Israel’s northern frontier that lasted until a US-brokered ceasefire with Beirut and Jerusalem on Nov. 27, 2024. The truce halted large‑scale cross‑border fighting and severely weakened the group, which is designated a terrorist organization by the United States, Israel, Canada and the United Kingdom.

The agreement requires the terrorist group to be disarmed, starting in areas adjacent to Israel, with the Lebanese army mandated to establish a monopoly over arms in the country under the terms of the US-brokered ceasefire and a subsequent Lebanese Cabinet decision.

A Lebanese security source told Reuters the army’s announcement signaled that no armed group would be permitted to stage attacks from Southern Lebanon.

In his December statement affirming that the first phase of the weapons consolidation plan was near completion south of the Litani River, Salam also previewed the next stage.

“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,” his office said.

Jerusalem has continuously struck Hezbollah targets since the ceasefire took effect, in response to the terrorist group’s attempts to rebuild its offensive capabilities in violation of the truce. The Israel Defense Forces warned on Dec. 18 that Hezbollah is rapidly rebuilding its capabilities in Lebanon despite ongoing airstrikes since the truce took hold last year.

An Israeli official participated in a meeting in Naqoura on Dec. 19, at the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) headquarters, aimed at ensuring the disarmament of Hezbollah.

“During the meeting, ways to promote economic projects were discussed in order to underscore the mutual interest in removing the Hezbollah threat and ensuring sustainable security for residents on both sides of the border,” the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem said. “The meeting is a continuation of the security dialogue aimed at ensuring the disarmament of Hezbollah by the Lebanese army,” it added.

Despite pressure from Washington and Jerusalem for Beirut to disarm Hezbollah, the group’s secretary-general, Naim Qassem, has repeatedly rejected efforts at disarmament, including on Dec. 28, when he called seizing the group’s weapons “an Israeli-American plan.”

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