Israel tears into Lebanon over 'pathetically insufficient' Hezbollah disarmament

Lebanon’s army announced Thursday that it has completed the disarmament of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, declaring the area south of the Litani River weapon-free except for limited zones still under Israeli control. The statement claimed the Lebanese Army had achieved a full state monopoly on weapons in the south and that remaining activity was focused on clearing tunnels and unexploded ordnance.

Israel immediately rejected the declaration, calling it a misrepresentation of reality and warning that Hezbollah remains fully armed and operational throughout southern Lebanon. The Israel Defense Forces said Hezbollah continues to maintain weapons, operatives, command structures, and military infrastructure south of the Litani River, directly contradicting the Lebanese Army’s assessment.

According to Israeli military sources, the Lebanese Army did not destroy weapons it collected from Hezbollah but instead transferred them into storage facilities and warehouses under its control. This approach, Israel argues, preserves Hezbollah’s ability to rapidly reconstitute its arsenal and effectively leaves the group’s military power intact. Israeli officials say Jerusalem explicitly opposed this method and demanded full destruction of seized weapons, not their safekeeping.

The IDF response, reported by Nitzan Shapira, stressed that Hezbollah’s presence in the south is ongoing and observable. Israeli intelligence assessments indicate that Hezbollah operatives continue to move in the area, underground infrastructure remains active, and reconstruction efforts are underway at sites previously damaged by Israeli strikes. Palestinian terrorist groups, including Hamas, are also assessed to be operating in the same region.

Following the Lebanese announcement, Israeli officials signaled that Israel is preparing a response that could publicly embarrass the Lebanese Army by exposing evidence that contradicts its claims. According to Israeli reporting, the Lebanese declaration is seen in Jerusalem as presenting a picture that “does not correspond to reality, to say the least.” Israeli decision-makers are weighing steps that could include the release of intelligence materials or operational actions designed to demonstrate that Hezbollah’s military presence in southern Lebanon remains largely unchanged.

In its statement, the Lebanese Army said it was implementing a government directive issued in August 2025 to consolidate all weapons under state authority by the end of the year. Lebanese officials framed the announcement as a message to all actors that no armed group would be allowed to operate freely in the south. Israeli officials, however, view the declaration as primarily intended for international audiences amid growing pressure on Beirut to curb Hezbollah’s power.

Israel has acknowledged that the Lebanese Army’s reference to ongoing tunnel-clearing and unexploded ordnance implicitly admits that the mission is incomplete. Still, Israeli officials stress that disarmament cannot be declared while Hezbollah retains organized military capabilities. “As long as Hezbollah infrastructure exists south of the Litani, there is no disarmament,” one Israeli security source said.

Meanwhile, Israel continues limited military activity in southern Lebanon and is preparing for the possibility of a focused, time-bound operation against Hezbollah. Defense officials emphasize that Israel will judge progress based on operational realities on the ground, not official statements. Any escalation, they say, will depend on Hezbollah’s actions and capabilities, not on Lebanese declarations of success.

The episode highlights the widening gap between Beirut’s public claims and Israel’s intelligence-driven assessment, with Hezbollah still entrenched in the very areas declared disarmed.