DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group rejected on Tuesday the Lebanese government’s decision to grant the army at least four months to advance the second phase of a nationwide disarmament plan, saying it would not accept what it sees as a move serving Israel.

Lebanon’s government last year committed to disarming Hezbollah, which was badly weakened in a recent war with Israel, and tasked the army with drawing up a plan to do so.

The military announced last month that it had completed the first phase of the plan, covering the area between the Litani River and the Israeli border, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) farther south.

The second phase concerns the area between the Litani and the Awali rivers, around 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Beirut.

Lebanon’s Information Minister Paul Morcos said during a press conference late on Monday after a cabinet meeting that the government had taken note of the army’s monthly report on its arms control plan that includes restricting weapons in areas north of the Litani River up to the Awali River in Sidon, and granted it four months.

“The required time frame is four months, renewable depending on available capabilities, Israeli attacks and field obstacles,” he said.

Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah on Tuesday said, “We cannot be lenient,” signalling the group’s rejection of the timeline and the broader approach to the issue of its weapons.

The comment came after Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem said in a speech on Monday that “what the Lebanese government is doing by focusing on disarmament is a major mistake because this issue serves the goals of Israeli aggression.”

Hezbollah has rejected the disarmament effort as a misstep while Israel continues to target Lebanon, and Shiite ministers walked out of the cabinet session that made the decision last year in protest.

Israel, which accuses Hezbollah of rearming, has criticized the army’s progress as insufficient, and has kept up regular strikes on Lebanon despite a November 2024 ceasefire that sought to end more than a year of hostilities with the Iran-backed terror group, citing Hezbollah violations of the truce’s terms.

Israel has also kept troops in five south Lebanon areas it deems strategic, while Hezbollah has rejected calls to surrender its weapons north of the Litani.

Israeli officials say any disarmament plan must be fully and effectively implemented, especially in areas close to the border, and that continued Hezbollah terror activity constitutes a violation of relevant international resolutions.

While visiting Beirut on Monday, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier urged Lebanon to keep up the disarmament of Hezbollah, saying it would help ensure the withdrawal of the IDF from Lebanese territory, during a press conference with his Lebanese counterpart, Joseph Aoun.

Aoun said Lebanon has asked Germany to “demand the Israeli side implement the ceasefire agreement and withdraw from the territories it occupies.”

He also asked Germany to assist the Lebanese army and to play a “key role” after the departure of United Nations observers, whose mandate expires this year.

If so, we have a request. 

Every day during the past two years of war and rising global anti-Zionism and antisemitism, our journalists kept you abreast of the most important developments that merit your attention. Millions of people rely on ToI for fact-based coverage of Israel and the Jewish world. 

We care about Israel - and we know you do too. So we have an ask for this new year of 2026: express your values by joining The Times of Israel Community, an exclusive group for readers like you who appreciate and financially support our work. 

We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.

You clearly find our careful reporting valuable, in a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.

Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically since October 7.

So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you'll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.

Thank you,David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel

1 Anti-Zionist groups in Canada target Jewish children’s summer camps

2 Trump ally to ToI: Ayatollah staying in power would be ‘strategic victory for Iran’

3 Spike Lee wears pro-Palestinian outfit to NBA All-Star Game featuring 1st Israeli player

4 Swiss TV calls Israeli Olympic bobsleigh captain a ‘supporter of genocide’ in Gaza

5 InterviewDid the founder of Hadassah – Israel’s ‘mother’ – support a one-state solution?

6 India sentences 3 to death for rape of Israeli and Indian women, killing of Indian man

7 Iran’s FM says ‘guiding principles’ agreed on with US after 2nd round of nuclear talks

8 Smotrich to Arab MKs: It’s not the government’s fault ‘you murder one another’

2023-2024 Israel-Hezbollah conflict

© The Times of Israel