Lebanon21 December, 20252 min read
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam Announces Lebanon Will Disarm Hezbollah South of the Litani Within Days
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
PM Nawaf Salam said Lebanon is days away from completing Hezbollah disarmament south of Litani Disarmament follows a U.S.-backed, five-phase roadmap starting with south then Awali, Beirut, Bekaa, north
6 outlets told this the same way.
Lebanon disarmament roadmap
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced the government is days away from completing the first phase of disarming Hezbollah forces south of the Litani River. He said the government is ready to move on to a second phase north of the Litani. The steps are part of a U.S.-backed, multi-phase ceasefire roadmap intended to meet a year-end ceasefire condition with Israel.
“Salam said the south phase is 'days away' from completion and the state is ready to move to phase two north of the Litani after talks with civilian truce negotiator Simon Karam.”
Salam described the south phase as nearly finished and linked the move to talks with civilian truce negotiator Simon Karam. He presented the measures as a government-led consolidation of state control over arms in areas adjacent to Israel.
Disarmament roadmap and coordination
The announcement is explicitly tied to the U.S.-backed November ceasefire and a five-phase roadmap that would extend the disarmament effort northward from the Litani toward the Awali River, then into Beirut's suburbs, the Bekaa Valley, and ultimately the rest of the country.
Lebanese officials say the cabinet and the U.S.-backed Lebanese Army are coordinating to establish a state monopoly on arms and to implement the plan under government mandate as part of meeting the ceasefire's adjacent-area requirements.
Ceasefire timing pressure
Sources stress timing, with officials repeatedly linking completion of the south phase to a year-end deadline tied to the November ceasefire.
“Israel urged Lebanon to honour the terms of the truce and warned it would act ‘as necessary’ if Beirut does not curb Hezbollah.”
Government spokespeople and Salam describe the push as urgent and calendar-bound, while regional and external actors, notably Israel, have publicly pressured Beirut to meet the ceasefire conditions.
South Lebanon implementation tensions
Official sources express optimism about imminent completion of operations in the south. However, other sources say implementation faces significant friction. Hezbollah reportedly resists disarmament, citing continued Israeli action.
Israel has criticized the slow pace and warned it may act if terms are not met. Lebanese forces still need to move into more sensitive northern and urban areas in later phases. That combination—an announced readiness to act, claims of days-away completion, and ongoing tensions and strikes—leaves the on-the-ground outcome uncertain and subject to diplomatic and security pressures.
