Lebanese military source: Preparations underway to seize non-state weapons north of Litani

A senior Lebanese military source cited by Al Jazeera says the military is surveying the area between the Litani and Awali rivers in preparation for the second phase of its effort to enforce a monopoly on arms in the country.

The first phase concerned the area between the Litani and the border with Israel, while the second phase concerns areas north of the Litani. The Litani runs about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of the Israeli border, while the Awali runs between 60 and 90 kilometers (36 and 54 miles) north of the border.

“We’ve reinforced checkpoints in all areas to prevent the transfer of weapons north of the Litani,” Al Jazeera quotes the unnamed military source as saying.

The source also expresses concern about the expected withdrawal of UNIFIL from south Lebanon. The international peacekeeping force’s mandate is set to expire at the end of this year.

According to the source, the Lebanese military will require some 4,000 more troops to fill the gap that will be left by UNIFIL. “If no alternative is found for UNIFIL, we may witness clashes between the Israeli and Lebanese armies,” the source says.

Separately, the source says Lebanon has detained 160 members of the Islamic State and other terrorist organizations since the start of 2026.

The Lebanese army and UNIFIL were required to dismantle Hezbollah’s military infrastructure south of the Litani under a November 2024 ceasefire deal, which ended over a year of hostilities that saw Israel invade Lebanon to ensure the safe return of some 60,000 residents of northern Israel displaced by Hezbollah’s near-daily attacks.

Israel was required to pull out of southern Lebanon, but has held on to five border points, accusing the Lebanese military of failing to completely dismantle Hezbollah’s infrastructure.

The Lebanese government that took power early last year has vowed to uphold a monopoly on arms — a thinly veiled threat against Hezbollah’s extensive arsenal.