Shafaq News – Middle East (Updated at 13:11)
The United States has given Lebanon until December 31, 2025, to disarm Hezbollah, Israel Hayom reported on Thursday, citing unnamed sources.
According to the report, failure to meet the deadline could trigger a “new military conflict,” with Washington cautioning that Beirut would bear full responsibility.
The report also described the 2024 US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah as “one-sided,” prohibiting Hezbollah from firing “even a single bullet” while allowing Israel to conduct preemptive strikes.
The disclosure follows Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz’s warning that military action may be the “only remaining option” if Hezbollah refuses to disarm “voluntarily.” During a closed session of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, excerpts of which were published by Channel 7, Katz admitted that diplomatic channels had stalled. He noted that “no real indication” of compliance had emerged despite Washington’s deadline.
Read more: Israel warns Lebanon: Deterrence or descent into new war?
In Beirut, Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Ammar rejected any prospect of disarmament, arguing that the group’s arsenal “will remain” until Israel withdraws from all seven border points and releases Lebanese detainees.
Ammar charged the US, Israel, and their partners with seeking to dismantle Lebanon’s resistance, contending that “past attempts collapsed” and that talks with Israel hold little value given what he described as “persistent evasions.”
US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack has outlined a phased disarmament plan that ties Hezbollah’s weapons surrender to expanded political inclusion and economic incentives—a strategy framed as “negotiation over confrontation.”
Lebanon’s government has officially endorsed a policy to bring all weapons under army control, with President Joseph Aoun describing negotiations with Israel as “the only option” to prevent escalation. However, Hezbollah has repeatedly rejected such proposals, insisting that surrendering its arsenal would undermine Lebanon’s defense and weaken its identity as a resistance force.
Read more: Lebanon: A nation unraveling tensions overshadow independence
Despite the November 27, 2024, ceasefire, Israeli troops remain deployed south of the Litani River and persist with air and ground operations across southern and eastern Lebanon. Lebanese authorities report 5,350 violations since the truce began, including 2,983 airstrikes, 2,189 ground incursions, and 169 naval breaches, resulting in 331 deaths and 945 injuries.