Overview

• The Lebanese government has tasked its army with drafting a plan to disarm Hezbollah by December 2025 under the U.S.-mediated ceasefire framework.
• Tom Barrack described Beirut’s move as a “first step” and urged Israel to reciprocate by pulling its forces from five strategic positions in southern Lebanon.
• Negotiators are developing modalities for transferring Hezbollah’s weapons to the Lebanese Army, phasing in army and UN peacekeeper deployments south of the Litani River, and tightening border controls.
• Hezbollah’s deputy leader, Naïm Qassem, rejected the initiative as executing U.S.-Israeli orders and warned that disarmament could spark internal strife.
• Israel continues to maintain positions and conduct periodic strikes in southern Lebanon while talks proceed on its withdrawal and formal border demarcation.