The Lebanese Army on patrol in south Lebanon after an Israeli strike, April 22, 2025. (Credit: Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP)
The Lebanese Army is intensifying its efforts to dismantle Hezbollah’s arsenal south of the Litani River, per the cease-fire agreement. According to our information, for the first time, a Lebanese-American military delegation conducted a tour of the border region on Thursday, especially in the eastern sector, in the Wadi al-Hujair area, considered a strategic stronghold of Hezbollah. The purpose of this tour is to identify more sites belonging to the group.
Additionally, a French unit of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) conducted patrols searching for Hezbollah military installations in the forests of Wadi al-Hujair, in addition to intensive patrols in the locality of Houla (Marjayoun district). This tour is part of the formation of a new Lebanese-American military committee, stemming from the cease-fire agreement oversight committee. Besides Wadi al-Hujair, this committee is to survey the Wadi Slouqi region (Marjeyoun) as well as the Litani River, to identify any Hezbollah positions or rocket-launching platforms. The objective is to ensure that the entire region south of the Litani River is free of weapons, as stipulated in U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, upon which the truce is based.
In this context, L’Orient-Le Jour has learned that the chairman of the oversight committee, American General Jasper Jeffers, will return to Lebanon next week to meet with officials and lead an evaluation meeting on the work of the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL. This dynamic comes as discussions begin on renewing the U.N. peacekeepers' mandate next August, with American pressure to strengthen their prerogatives and broaden them as if their mandate falls under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, allowing them to use force. If Lebanon refuses any amendment to UNIFIL’s mandate, the U.S. administration will likely exert pressure, threatening to halt financial aid to this force.
17 million dollars to the army
In this context, President Joseph Aoun met on Thursday with UNIFIL's commander-in-chief, General Aroldo Lazaro. “The Lebanese Army continues its deployment in the villages and localities of the South from which Israel has withdrawn,” the head of state, himself a former commander-in-chief of the troops, said.
In parallel, a delegation from the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) announced to President Aoun that the German government will provide 17 million euros to the army, specifically to “units trained for deployment in the south.” According to a message posted on the presidential Twitter account, the head of state was “informed” of this donation by Evariste Karambizi, director of the division for peace at UNITAR, and the director of the diplomatic division of the Institute for Training and Research, during a meeting in Baabda. This financial aid aims to “support military units trained for southern deployment in the context of their training and logistical equipment” through the U.N. agency.
On the other side of the border, a senior source within the Israeli army indicated Wednesday to the Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot that the Israelis believe the Lebanese Army is “doing more” than they would have thought to disarm Hezbollah south of the Litani. “In many areas, the Lebanese Army acts more against Hezbollah than we would have thought, but we still want more,” a senior Israeli military official reportedly told this outlet.
Disarming Hamas in exchange for civil rights?
Regarding the region north of the Litani, nothing indicates that any progress has been made so far in negotiations between Aoun and Hezbollah, mainly due to internal differences within the party. Some call for dialogue, while others set conditions, such as Israeli withdrawal from the south, stopping attacks and starting the reconstruction process before addressing the issue of defense strategy, not to mention the handing over or withdrawal of weapons.
According to our information, Lebanon is also awaiting the visit of American envoy Morgan Ortagus next May. During her last visit in April, the diplomat stated she would return to follow the progress of the Lebanese Army's work and examine the progress in withdrawing Hezbollah’s weapons across the territory. The Lebanese state is determined to dedicate the monopoly of arms to the state: Aoun has made this known to Hezbollah officials, who are openly refusing to hand over their arsenal. Aoun nevertheless reaffirmed that dialogue remains the only possible way to resolve this issue.
The disarmament of Hezbollah remains Lebanon’s strategic priority and is a central criterion in the international perception of the Lebanese situation. Indeed, the positions of foreign countries are clear: No aid or investment will be granted to Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed. According to our information, the process undertaken by the Lebanese state to monopolize arms will continue, and, after operations south of the Litani, the focus will shift to dismantling military infrastructures across the rest of the territory. Priority will be given to dismantling the arsenal of Palestinian factions, particularly Hamas. This plan will coincide with the expected visit next month to Beirut by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. On Thursday, Hamas spokesperson in Lebanon, Jihad Taha, stated that the Palestinian factions and forces present in the country are ready to engage in dialogue with authorities regarding the disarmament of the camps, provided that the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue is not limited to only security and military aspects and encompasses the political, social and legal dimensions of the issue of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and their civil rights.
In this context, after a video showing the Lebanese Army taking control of a military position and seizing weapons and missiles in Arqoub, southern Lebanon, was broadcast, al-Jamaa al-Islamiya reacted by denying in a statement any military presence in the region. The clip had been relayed by Lebanese channel Al-Jadeed on Thursday, which, citing its sources, reported that this position was controlled by the group. “We do not have military bases in Arqoub and have no connection to the weapons seized in the region,” said the Sunni party affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. It assured “having no military bases in the mentioned area or elsewhere and denied any connection or relation with the equipment and rockets seized.”
This article was translated from L'Orient-Le Jour.
Municipal councils elected by acclamation in several villages in Bekaa