Lebanon claims the first phase of Hezbollah’s disarmament is near completion. Israel attacks Lebanon News

The Prime Minister says the part of the plan south of the Litani River is ‘just days away from completion’.

Lebanon is close to completing the disarmament of Hezbollah south of the Litani River ahead of a one-year deadline as part of a ceasefire agreement with Israel, according to Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.

Saturday’s statement comes as the country races to meet key demands struck in the US-backed agreement last November that ended more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

The agreement requires the disarmament of the Iran-aligned Lebanese armed group, starting in the areas south of the river adjacent to Israel.

Lebanese officials, led by Presidents Joseph Aoun and Salam, on August 5 tasked the US-backed Lebanese Army to draw up a plan to establish a state monopoly on arms by the end of the year.

“Prime Minister Salam confirmed that the first phase of the arms 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 proceed to the second phase [confiscating weapons] north of the Litani River – based on a plan prepared by the Lebanese army in accordance with government orders,” Salam said.

The committee includes Simon Karam, Lebanon’s top civilian negotiator.

The statement came after Salam spoke with Simon Karam, Lebanon’s top civilian negotiator on the committee overseeing the Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire.

At a meeting on Friday, the committee focused on how to return displaced people to their homes and address civilian issues to help prevent a renewed war if Hezbollah does not meet a year-end deadline to disarm.

The 15th meeting of the Committee reflects a long-standing US effort to broaden dialogue between the parties beyond monitoring the 2024 ceasefire.

The US Embassy in Beirut said that at Friday’s meeting in the coastal city of Nakoura in southern Lebanon,

Civilian participants discussed steps to facilitate the safe return of residents displaced by the war through 2023-24 and advance economic reconstruction.

Since the ceasefire, Israeli warplanes have repeatedly targeted parts of Lebanon, mostly southern Lebanon, but sometimes also the capital.

Israel says it is questioning the Lebanese army’s efforts to disarm Hezbollah.

The Shia Muslim armed group Hezbollah has attempted to resist pressure from its primarily Christian and Sunni Muslim rivals in Lebanon.

along with the US and Saudi Arabia, arguing that it would be a mistake to disarm while Israel continues its airstrikes on the country.

Israel has publicly urged Lebanese authorities to meet the terms of the ceasefire and has said it will act “as necessary” if Lebanon fails to take steps against Hezbollah.