Israel pushed back on the Lebanese Army’s announcement that it secured state monopoly on arms and operational control over southern Lebanon, saying their efforts “are far from sufficient.”

The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) said its plan to restrict weapons has “entered an advanced stage, after achieving the goals of the first phase effectively and tangibly on the ground,” declaring the first phase of Hezbollah’s disarmament over. 

The announcement comes a little over a week after a deadline for the Lebanese Armed Forces to disarm Hezbollah expired. Operations are, however, “still ongoing,” with the LAF seeking to destroy tunnels and prevent armed groups from rebuilding their military capabilities. 

LAF also decried “continuation of Israeli aggression” on Lebanese territory, the presence of the IDF on five different locations in southern Lebanon, and the “daily violations” of the November 2024 ceasefire. 

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office released a statement following the LAF’s declaration, saying the ceasefire agreement brokered by America between Israel and Lebanon states clearly, Hezbollah must be fully disarmed. This is imperative for Israel’s security and Lebanon’s future. 

“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,” the statement added. 

Israeli attacks against Hezbollah operatives expanded in recent months, killing low and high level commanders, including the group’s army chief, Haytham Ali Tabatabai, in Beirut in November. 

On Tuesday, the IDF struck Hamas weapons production sites in southern Lebanon, which were used for the organization’s “military buildup and for carrying out terror attacks against IDF soldiers and the State of Israel.”

“These terror infrastructure sites were located within civilian areas, constituting yet another example of the terrorist organizations’ cynical use of Lebanese civilians as human shields for terrorist activity,” the IDF added. 

Israel has struck Hamas positions in Lebanon several times during the ceasefire, including in November when the IDF targeted a Hamas facility at Ain al-Hilweh near the coastal city of Sidon in southern Lebanon, killing 13 people. Several members of Hezbollah were also killed in IDF strikes this week, including an engineer and a member of their aerial unit. 

Saudi, French, and American officials met with LAF’s chief in Paris last month to discuss mechanisms to disarm Hezbollah. 

KAN, Israel’s Public Broadcaster, reported that Prime Minister Netanyahu told his cabinet that President Trump has given Israel a green light for a new offensive against Hezbollah as both Jerusalem and Washington are unhappy with LAF’s efforts to disarm the group. 

“The Lebanese government is at a little bit of a disadvantage with Hezbollah,” Mr. Trump said during a press conference with Mr. Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago last month, adding they have been “behaving badly.” Hezbollah’s leader, Naim Qassem, has repeatedly refused to disarm, saying disarmament is an “Israeli-American plan.”

“To demand exclusive arms control while Israel is committing aggression and America is imposing its will on Lebanon, stripping it of its power, means that you are not working in Lebanon’s interest, but rather in the interest of what Israel wants,” Sheikh Qassem said last month.