Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Saturday that the first phase of the army’s plan to confine weapons to state control south of the Litani River is “days away from completion,” confirming that Lebanon is ready to move to the second phase of the plan.
His remarks came during a meeting in Beirut with Simon Karam, head of the Lebanese delegation to the ceasefire monitoring committee with Israel, who briefed him on the details and outcome of the committee’s latest meeting.
“The first phase of the plan to confine weapons south of the Litani River is just days away from completion,” he said in his comments cited by a statement from his office.
Lebanon “is ready to move to the second phase, meaning north of the Litani River, based on the plan prepared by the Lebanese army upon instructions from the government,” he added.
Salam stressed the need to provide all necessary support to the Lebanese army to enable it “to fully carry out its national responsibilities.”
Lebanese, Israeli, and US officials held a meeting on Friday in the southern town of Naqoura aimed at preventing a renewed conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
The meeting was the second of its kind in two weeks amid escalating Israeli violations of a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah, which has been in effect since November 2024.
Five-phase plan
In August, Lebanon’s government approved a plan to place all weapons, including those held by Hezbollah, under state control. In September, it endorsed a five-phase plan drawn up by the army to implement the decision, though no timeline was set.
The first phase calls for the removal of Hezbollah weapons south of the Litani River by the end of the year. However, Hezbollah has repeatedly rejected disarmament, insisting Israel must first withdraw from all Lebanese territory.
Israel and Lebanon reached the ceasefire after more than a year of cross-border attacks amid the war in Gaza. More than 4,000 people were killed, and 17,000 were injured.
Under the ceasefire, Israeli forces were supposed to withdraw from southern Lebanon in January but have only partially pulled out, maintaining military occupation at five border outposts.
