Shafaq News – Beirut

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Thursday questioned Hezbollah’s justification for keeping its weapons, saying the group’s arsenal has not prevented Israeli attacks as Lebanon works to place all arms under state authority.

According to a statement released by the Press Club Lebanon, Salam said his country had established a phased plan to restrict weapons. The first stage — removing arms and military infrastructure south of the Litani River — is due to finish by the end of this year. North of the Litani, he explained, the plan calls for containing weapons by preventing their movement and use, before progressing later to broader measures across the country.

He recalled the Taif Agreement, which ended the civil war and reaffirmed sovereignty over all Lebanese territory — including the south, large parts of which were once occupied by Israel — noting that the state is behind on its obligations under the accord. He also acknowledged the resistance’s role in liberating those areas, with Hezbollah playing “a significant part” in that effort.

While describing Lebanon as enduring a “one-sided war of attrition,” he challenged Hezbollah’s assertion that its weapons provide deterrence, noting that “the enemy [Israel] attacked, and the weapons did not deter it.” Salam added that the arsenal “did not protect the party’s leaders, nor the Lebanese and their property,” pointing to extensive damage in southern villages.

He questioned whether the weapons could affect the current confrontation, saying they have offered no protection or gains for Gaza, referring to Hezbollah’s support operations that later expanded into open war.

Despite the 27 November 2024 ceasefire, Israeli forces remain deployed at five positions south of the Litani River and continue strikes across southern and eastern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs. UNIFIL has documented more than 7,500 air violations and nearly 2,500 ground breaches north of the Blue Line — the 120-kilometer boundary set by the UN in 2000 following Israel’s withdrawal — through November 20.

UN agencies report that intensified strikes have killed more than 120 civilians, damaged infrastructure, and prevented displaced families from returning home. Updated figures from Lebanon’s Ministry of Health place the overall toll since the ceasefire at 331 killed and 945 wounded.

Lebanon has endorsed a policy placing all weapons under army authority, while the United States has given Beirut until December 31, 2025, to disarm Hezbollah, according to Israel Hayom.

The group, however, has repeatedly rejected such proposals, with Hezbollah MP Ali Ammar saying on Thursday the arsenal “will remain” until Israel withdraws from all border points and releases Lebanese detainees. He accused the United States, Israel, and their partners of seeking to dismantle Lebanon’s “resistance,” describing talks with Israel as ineffective due to what he called “persistent evasions.”

Read more: Lebanon: A nation unraveling tensions overshadow independence