Netanyahu Ready to Support Disarmament of Hezbollah by Lebanese Government

Latest Developments

Israel Supports for Hezbollah Disarmament: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled that Israel was ready to scale back its military presence in Lebanon if the Lebanese government followed through with its promise to disarm the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist group. “Israel stands ready to support Lebanon in its efforts to disarm Hezbollah and to work together towards a more secure and stable future for both nations,” Netanyahu stated. “If the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) take the necessary steps to implement the disarmament of Hezbollah, Israel will engage in reciprocal measures, including a phased reduction of IDF presence in coordination with the U.S.-led security mechanism.”
U.S. and Israeli Officials Meet to Discuss Lebanon: The statement was released by Netanyahu’s office a day after he and Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer met with U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, Deputy Special Envoy Morgan Ortagus, and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, where they discussed Lebanon and Syria. In his statement, Netanyahu praised efforts by the Lebanese government, including its president and prime minister, on taking a “significant step” to “work towards the disarmament of Hezbollah by the end of 2025.” The meeting comes after Barrack criticized Israel for not upholding its side of the November 2024 ceasefire deal by maintaining IDF forces in the “five points” in southern Lebanon. The “Lebanese government has done their part,” he said, “now what we need is for Israel to comply with that equal handshake.”
Disarmament Plan Reportedly Imminent: The Lebanese government and Army are expected to finalize a plan to disarm Hezbollah next week. Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem has threatened civil unrest if the government goes through with its pledge, insisting that Israeli withdrawal must precede the formation of what he called a “national defense strategy.” Lebanese presidential advisor Mohammad Obeid recently met with Lebanese parliament member Mohammad Raad, head of Hezbollah’s Loyalty to Resistance bloc, to assure him that the Cabinet’s decision to disarm the terrorist group “will not be implemented until Israel withdraws from southern Lebanon and halts its airstrikes.”

FDD Expert Response

“Prime Minister Netanyahu’s statement is premature. The LAF’s disarmament plan has not even been submitted to the government, which may still buckle under Hezbollah’s pressure and fail to approve it. Any Israeli conciliatory gestures — be they withdrawal from south Lebanon or cessation of operations — must come gradually, after Lebanon begins to act against Hezbollah and demonstrates it will maintain course, not after mere words that are retracted as easily as they are issued.” — David Daoud, Senior Fellow

“Opponents of the Lebanese cabinet’s plan to disarm Hezbollah were betting Israel would reject it but were surprised that Jerusalem endorsed the plan instead, with the caveat that the sequencing as spelled out by Netanyahu’s statement was different from the U.S.-Lebanese outline. U.S. diplomats will now need to align the two proposals seamlessly, leaving no opening for Hezbollah to avoid disarmament.” — Hussain Abdul-Hussain, Research Fellow