‘Far from enough’: Israel dismisses Lebanese claim to have established full control of southern Lebanon without mentioning Hezbollah

Israel dismissed claims by the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) on Thursday, which declared that it had completed the first stage of its plan to monopolize weapons in the hands of the state by establishing full control over the area south of the Litani River, which borders Israel. 

The ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel in 2024 had demanded the complete disarmament of the terror group, including the dismantlement of its infrastructure. Under heavy U.S. pressure, the Lebanese government declared it would instruct its army to carry out the disarmament but couched the process in the language of establishing a “monopoly on weapons.” 

“Efforts made toward this end by the Lebanese Government and the Lebanese Armed Forces 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,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stated. 

Despite the statements published today in Lebanon, the facts remain that extensive Hezbollah military infrastructure still exists south of the Litani River. The goal of disarming Hezbollah in southern Lebanon remains far from being achieved.
This can be seen in the attached… pic.twitter.com/NPTIEbUapQ

— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) January 8, 2026

The LAF’s statement avoided mentioning Hezbollah by name, only claiming that the plan to establish the state monopoly “entered an advanced phase, after effectively achieving and concretely realizing the objectives of the first phase on the ground” by dismantling Hezbollah’s infrastructure south of the Litani and deploying its troops in the area. 

“The ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States between Israel and Lebanon states clearly, Hezbollah must be fully disarmed. This is imperative for Israel's security and Lebanon's future,” Netanyahu’s statement emphasized. 

The Foreign Ministry also released a statement stressing that "extensive Hezbollah military infrastructure still exists south of the Litani River."

"Hezbollah is rearming faster than it is being disarmed. Furthermore, it is regrettable that there are instances of cooperation between elements within the LAF and Hezbollah," the ministry added.

The LAF said its deployment in southern Lebanon is meant to “permanently preventing [sic] the use of this area as a launch point for any military action, as part of the state’s decision to extend its authority with its own forces over the entire national territory.” 

In addition to its disputed claims of having now removed Hezbollah’s presence in southern Lebanon, the LAF and President Joseph Aoun went on to signal that the continuation of the disarmament would depend on Israeli actions. 

The military said it would now conduct a “general and thorough evaluation of the first phase of the ‘Shield of the Homeland’ plan," based on which it will determine "the approach of the following phases.” 

Aoun thanked the military for its actions, adding that “unresolved issues” like “the continued Israeli occupation of parts of Lebanese territory and the establishment of buffer zones within it, in addition to ongoing violations of Lebanese sovereignty by land, sea, and air, including repeated attacks on Lebanese territory” are now hindering “the full extension of state authority.” 

“I call on the international community—particularly brotherly and friendly states—to assist Lebanon in implementing this agreement by adhering to its provisions, including support for Lebanon to prevent the transfer of any weapons or related materials to any party in Lebanon other than the Lebanese armed forces,” Aoun added. 

Israel's Foreign Ministry rejected these claims, responding that "It should be emphasized that the IDF's strikes against Hezbollah do not delay the goal of disarming the organization - on the contrary, they advance it. Israel expects LAF efforts to disarm Hezbollah to continue south of the Litani and throughout all other parts of Lebanon, in full accordance with the ceasefire agreement."

Despite the statements signaling that Lebanon now intends to demand the cessation of Israeli actions before continuing with the disarmament process in the rest of the country, which Hezbollah has threatened to resist violently, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and some anti-Hezbollah ministers are demanding a clear timetable for its continuation. 

The Lebanese television channel MTV reported that ministers from the Christian “Lebanese Forces” party demanded a three-month timeframe to implement the disarmament plan, but that Aoun responded that it would remain subject to the army’s discretion and cannot be bound by fixed timetables. 

The IDF has continually highlighted attempts by Hezbollah to rebuild its infrastructure and weapons arsenal, including in southern Lebanon, and has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in recent months to prevent this. 

Ynet News reported on Thursday that the LAF stored most of the weapons that it has confiscated from Hezbollah so far in warehouses instead of destroying them, despite strong Israeli objections. 

The IDF estimates that the LAF agreed to this interim solution at the demand of Hezbollah, which aimed to prevent the destruction of its weapons arsenal. 

On Wednesday, the IDF “eliminated a terrorist in the 127th Aerial Unit of the Hezbollah terrorist organization in the Jouaiyya area in southern Lebanon,” the military said, noting the terrorist “took part in attempts to reestablish Hezbollah's terrorist infrastructure in the area.” 

“He is the second terrorist from the terrorist organization’s aerial unit to be eliminated in the past two days. The terrorist’s activity constituted a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” the IDF stated. 

Former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant wrote on X that “The mission in Lebanon has not been completed.” 

“Despite its announcement this morning, the Lebanese army is acting with laxity and avoiding friction with Hezbollah—as a result, the agreement is not being upheld, and terror infrastructures are not being neutralized,” Gallant wrote.