Lebanon close to completing disarmament of Hezbollah south of Litani River, says PM

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FILE PHOTO: Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam speaks to journalists at the government headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, December 3, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo

Dec 20 - Lebanon is close to completing the disarmament of Hezbollah south of the Litani River, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Saturday, as the country races to fulfil a key demand of its ceasefire with Israel before a year-end deadline.

The U.S.-backed ceasefire, agreed in November 2024, ended more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and required the disarmament of the Iran-aligned militant group, starting in areas south of the river adjacent to Israel.

Lebanese authorities, led by President Joseph Aoun and Salam, tasked the U.S.-backed Lebanese army on August 5 with devising a plan to establish a state monopoly on arms by the end of the year.

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 his 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 statement came after Salam held talks with Simon Karam, Lebanons top civilian negotiator on a committee overseeing the Hezbollah-Israel truce.

Since the ceasefire, the sides have regularly accused each other of violations, with Israel questioning the Lebanese armys efforts to disarm Hezbollah. Israeli warplanes