Lebanon Prepares for Washington Talks as Israel Expands Southern Lebanon Operations and Presses Hezbollah Disarmament

Lebanon is preparing for negotiations officially set to begin Thursday in Washington over a U.S.-backed disarmament framework, with the core dispute centered on whether Beirut can secure a ceasefire or de-escalation before any mechanism is reactivated.

“The Hezbollah leader, Naim Qassem, said on Sunday that the moves to disarm the group in Lebanon were an 'Israeli-American plan', accusing Israel of not respecting the ceasefire agreement reached last year”

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The Lebanese condition is tied to returning to the status-quo that existed before March 2, while Israel is described as seeking to expand its military operation in southern Lebanon and to press for a joint trilateral position on disarming Hezbollah.

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In parallel with the diplomatic track, the sources say Israel escalated on the ground by announcing a crossing of the Litani River into the town of Zoutar al-Sharqiya, and by attempts to expand its advance toward Wadi Zbqeen and seize control of it in the western sector.

The American position, as described by Al-Madinah, is framed by U.S. Ambassador Michael Eissey stressing separating the Lebanon file from Iran and from any other Arab issue and the urgent necessity of moving to disarm Hezbollah.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem rejected direct negotiations and reaffirmed the continuation of fighting, arguing that the weapons file is an internal Lebanese problem to be resolved through dialogue among Lebanese parties.

L'Orient-Le Jour and Le Monde.fr both describe U.S. special envoy Tom Barrack’s efforts to translate the August 7 Lebanese endorsement of an American plan into Israeli gestures, with Le Monde.fr saying Barrack returned from Israel after meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu without obtaining concessions on respect for the ceasefire signed in November 2024.

Le Monde.fr adds that Barrack announced Israel would make a "counter-proposal regarding withdrawals, security guarantees at their borders" after receiving the Hezbollah disarmament plan the Lebanese army will present on August 31.

Al-Jazeera Net

In response to the pressure for disarmament, Naim Qassem told La Presse that "Disarmament is an Israeli-American plan," and he accused Israel of not respecting the ceasefire agreement reached in 2024.

La Presse also quotes Qassem saying, "While the Israeli enemy has not applied any of the clauses of the agreement, Lebanon is no longer obliged to take any measure, at any level, before the Israelis fulfill their obligations," as Israel continued strikes and kept troops in five zones deemed strategic.

Anadolu Ajansı reports that Lebanese Armed Forces pledged to "seriously document" their progress in disarming Hezbollah, aiming to strengthen credibility and avert the risk of a new military escalation with Israel.

The sources frame the stakes around a timetable for Hezbollah’s disarmament and the state’s monopoly on weapons, with CAREP Paris saying the Lebanese Council of Ministers, chaired by General Joseph Aoun, announced its agreement on August 7, 2025.

“Lebanon: Paris brings together international partners to support Hezbollah disarmament”

Anadolu Ajansı

CAREP Paris says the plan provides for confirming the ceasefire concluded between Lebanon and Israel on November 27, 2024, and sets a timetable for Hezbollah’s disarmament, including handing over heavy weapons and missiles by the end of 2025.

It also says Israel would commit to a gradual withdrawal from certain positions south of the Litani in coordination with the Lebanese army and UNIFIL, while the stated objective is to strengthen the state's monopoly on the use of force and stabilize the border.

Anadolu Ajansı reports that under the ceasefire agreement the Lebanese army must complete by December 31 the dismantling of Hezbollah's military infrastructure south of the Litani River, about thirty kilometers from the Israeli border, and that France’s Pascal Confavreux said General Haykal presented "the progress of implementing the plan to restore the Lebanese state's monopoly on weapons."

At the same time, the sources describe Hezbollah’s rejection of the government decision and its warning of instability, with CAREP Paris saying Hezbollah’s leadership announced it would consider the government’s decision nonexistent and place the party in direct confrontation with the executive and the Lebanese army.