Israel: Lebanon’s efforts to disarm Hezbollah encouraging but ‘far from sufficient’

Lebanon’s efforts to disarm Hezbollah are “encouraging” but insufficient, says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, hours after the Lebanese Armed Forces said it has achieved the goal of a state monopoly on arms in the country’s south in an “effective and tangible way.”

“The ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States between Israel and Lebanon states clearly, Hezbollah must be fully disarmed,” says the Prime Minister’s Office in an English-language statement. “This is imperative for Israel’s security and Lebanon’s future.”

Hezbollah fought a year-long war with Israel, which ended in a November 2024 ceasefire that stipulated that only Lebanon’s state security forces are allowed to carry arms.

Netanyahu’s office says that efforts by Beirut and the LAF “are an encouraging beginning, but they are far from sufficient, as evidenced by Hezbollah’s efforts to rearm and rebuild its terror infrastructure with Iranian support.”