Saudi, French and US officials to meet today on Hezbollah disarmament plan

French, Saudi and US officials will hold talks with the head of the Lebanese army today in Paris aimed at finalizing a roadmap to enable a mechanism for the disarmament of the Hezbollah terror group, diplomats said.

The meeting was planned amid fears that Israel could embark on a new military operation against the Iran-backed group after a December 31 deadline for its disarmament passes.

Israeli strikes against Hezbollah infrastructure and activity have continued in the year-plus since a ceasefire took effect between the sides. The ceasefire required both Israel and Hezbollah to vacate southern Lebanon, to be replaced by the Lebanese military. Israel has withdrawn from all but five strategic posts along the border, and says its strikes are against Hezbollah attempts to rebuild its strength following the war.

It says the Lebanese army is not moving fast enough to take away the terror group’s weapons.

Against that backdrop, the aim of today’s meeting, an official told The Times of Israel on Tuesday, is to “share notes” on how to prevent another outbreak of war in Lebanon.

The US will be represented by Morgan Ortagus, the American special representative for Lebanon, while French President Emmanuel Macron’s Middle East adviser Anne-Claire Legendre will head the French side.

The meeting aims to create more robust conditions to identify, support and verify the disarmament process and dissuade Israel from escalation, four European and Lebanese diplomats and officials tell Reuters.

With legislative elections due in Lebanon in 2026, there are fears political paralysis and party politics will further fuel instability and make Lebanese President Joseph Aoun less likely to press disarmament, the diplomats and officials say.

“The situation is extremely precarious, full of contradictions and it won’t take much to light the powder keg,” says one senior official speaking on condition of anonymity.

With the Lebanese army lacking capacity to disarm Hezbollah, the idea would be to reinforce the existing ceasefire mechanism with French, US and possibly other military experts along with UN peacekeeping forces, the diplomats and officials say.

The parties hope to organize a conference at the start of next year to reinforce the Lebanese army as well as a separate conference to help reconstruction, most notably for Lebanon’s south.