Lebanese government warns Hamas not to conduct operations from its territory
Lebanon army said to seize 800 rockets from Palestinian refugee camp in country’s north amid efforts to disarm non-state actors
Lebanon has warned the Palestinian terror group Hamas not to conduct operations that compromise the country’s security or sovereignty, Beirut’s Supreme Defense Council said on Friday.
The announcement came with Lebanon facing growing US pressure to disarm armed groups outside state control following last year’s war between Israel and the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas.
The ceasefire that ended that conflict in November 2024 called on Lebanon to disarm “all armed groups in Lebanon” and dismantle unauthorized military infrastructure.
Mohammad al-Mustafa, secretary-general of the Supreme Defense Council, told reporters on Friday that the body would recommend a series of decisions to Lebanon’s cabinet, including “warning Hamas against using Lebanese territory to carry out any actions that threaten Lebanese national security.”
Hamas has a longstanding presence within Lebanon, including in camps across the country that host hundreds of thousands of long-time Palestinian refugees and their descendants, where Lebanese security forces have long had only limited authority.
Like Hezbollah, Hamas fighters in Lebanon fired rockets across the southern border into Israel in solidarity with Palestinians after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war in Gaza and saw terrorists kill some 1,200 people and kidnap 251.
Israeli airstrikes have killed several Hamas commanders in Lebanon, including the group’s deputy chief in early 2024.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who previously served as army commander, has vowed to bring all weapons in the country under the state’s authority.
“The president underscored Lebanon’s refusal to be drawn into regional conflicts, highlighting the importance of Palestinian rights without compromising Lebanese stability,” Mustafa told reporters, referring to the council session.
“The prime minister also stressed the need to hand over illegal weapons and to prevent Hamas or any other faction from undermining Lebanon’s national security and stability,” a council statement said.
The Saudi channel Al-Hadath reported Friday that the Lebanese army seized 800 rockets in the Al-Beddawi Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon.
The Lebanese military also reportedly entered bases belonging to Hezbollah in northern Lebanon.
There was no official confirmation of the report in Lebanon.
According to the report, the rockets belonged to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command, a small Palestinian terror group that has been operating in recent years from Lebanon.
It has ties to the main Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and is not known to have carried out major terror attacks independently in recent years.
The disarmament in Lebanon is occurring as low-intensity hostilities continue between Israel and Hezbollah, with the Israel Defense Forces killing two operatives in the group in airstrikes on Thursday.
The ceasefire ended more than a year of fighting, including some two months of open war, between Israel and the Iran-backed terror group.
The fighting began on October 8, 2023, when Hezbollah started attacking Israel daily with missiles and drones, in support of Hamas.
The ceasefire allows Israel to strike immediate threats, and near-daily strikes against Hezbollah operatives and their allies have continued.
Aoun told Sky News Arabia on Wednesday that the Lebanese army now controls more than 85 percent of the country’s south, from which Hezbollah was obligated to withdraw under the ceasefire.
A Lebanese security source told AFP that Hezbollah had largely withdrawn from south of the Litani River, some 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of the border with Israel, and had dismantled most of its military infrastructure in that area.
There has been no outside confirmation of the claim.
Israel was also obligated to withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon. It has pulled out from all but five strategic posts.
Times of Israel staff and agencies contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.