BEIRUT, Jan 8 (Reuters) – The Lebanese army said on Thursday that it had achieved the goal of a state monopoly on arms in the country’s south in an “effective and tangible way”, but said there was more work to be done to clear unexploded ordnance and tunnels in the area.
The army had set a year-end deadline to clear non-state weaponry from southern Lebanon, which borders Israel, before moving on to other areas of the country.
It said it had extended operational control over the south, except for areas still occupied by Israeli troops.
The statement did not mention Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, which fought a year-long war with Israel that ended in a 2024 ceasefire that stipulated that only Lebanon’s state security forces were allowed to carry arms.
A Lebanese security source told Reuters that the statement signalled that no group would be able to launch attacks from southern Lebanon.
Lebanon has faced growing pressure from the U.S. and Israel to disarm Hezbollah. Its leaders fear Israel could dramatically escalate strikes across the battered country to more quickly push Lebanon’s leaders to confiscate Hezbollah’s arsenal.
Israel and Lebanon agreed to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in 2024, ending more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. That culminated in Israeli strikes that severely weakened the Iran-backed militant group. Since then, the sides have traded accusations of violations.
(Reporting by Maya Gebeily; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Thomas Derpinghaus)
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