Lebanon "Days Away" from Completing First Phase of Arms Control Plan
His announcement followed a Beirut meeting with Simon Karam, who leads the Lebanese delegation to the ceasefire monitoring committee with Israel and provided updates on the panel's most recent session.
"The first phase of the plan to confine weapons south of the Litani River is just days away from completion," he stated, according to an official statement from his office.
Lebanon "is ready to move to the second phase, meaning north of the Litani River, based on the plan prepared by the Lebanese army upon instructions from the government," he added.
Salam emphasized the urgency of delivering comprehensive support to the Lebanese army to empower it "to fully carry out its national responsibilities."
Lebanese, Israeli, and US officials convened Friday in the southern municipality of Naqoura with the objective of averting renewed hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. The session marked the second such gathering within two weeks against a backdrop of mounting Israeli ceasefire violations with Hezbollah, an agreement operational since November 2024.
Last August, Lebanon's government authorized a strategy to consolidate all weaponry, including Hezbollah's arsenal, under state jurisdiction. By September, authorities ratified a five-phase military blueprint to execute the directive, though no implementation deadline was established.
The opening phase mandates Hezbollah weapons removal south of the Litani River by year's end. Nevertheless, Hezbollah has consistently refused disarmament demands, maintaining Israel must first evacuate all Lebanese territory.
Israel and Lebanon secured the ceasefire following more than a year of cross-border hostilities amid the Gaza conflict. More than 4,000 people were killed, and 17,000 were injured.
The ceasefire terms required Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon by January, yet only partial evacuation has occurred, with military personnel remaining stationed at five border outposts.
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