Overview
- After a cabinet session, Information Minister Paul Morcos said the army has at least four months to advance phase two, a timeline that can be extended based on capabilities, Israeli strikes and field obstacles.
- Phase two covers the area between the Litani and Awali rivers, following the military’s declaration that phase one—south of the Litani to the Israeli border—was completed last month.
- Hezbollah’s leadership denounced the disarmament push as a “grave sin” and rejected surrendering weapons north of the Litani, with allied Shi'ite ministers walking out of the cabinet meeting.
- Israeli raids continued as the timeline was announced, with strikes reported in Hanin and Talloussah that killed at least two people, and Israel maintains positions in five areas of southern Lebanon.
- The disarmament plan stems from commitments tied to the November 2024 ceasefire, as the United States and Israel press for faster progress and Israeli officials label Lebanon’s efforts insufficient.