The Lebanese Army announced in a statement released on Thursday, January 8, that phase one of the US-dictated plan to confine weapons to the state has been completed.

“The army affirms that its plan to confine weapons has entered an advanced stage, following the effective and tangible achievement of the objectives of the first phase on the ground. This phase focused on expanding the army’s operational presence, securing vital areas, and extending operational control over the territories that have come under its authority in the southern Litani sector, with the exception of the lands and sites that remain under Israeli occupation,” the statement reads.

The army further pledged that “work in the sector is still ongoing, until the handling of unexploded ordnance and tunnels is completed, in addition to Requests for Action (RFAs)”.

It also vowed to prevent what it called “armed groups” from “irreversibly rebuilding their capabilities”.

Moreover, the army emphasized that Israel should stop violating the ceasefire deal in order for it to complete the required tasks.

Israel describes the Lebanese state’s efforts to disarm Hezbollah as “insufficient”

Although the announcement was perceived by many as yet another attempt by the Lebanese state to flatter the Trump administration, it does not seem to have persuaded Netanyahu’s government.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Lebanese state’s efforts to disarm the Lebanese resistance group as “far from sufficient”, in a statement issued on Thursday.

“The ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States between Israel and Lebanon states clearly, Hezbollah must be fully disarmed. This is imperative for Israel’s security and Lebanon’s future,” the statement indicates.

“Efforts made toward this end by the Lebanese Government and the Lebanese Armed Forces are an encouraging beginning, but they are far from sufficient, as evidenced by Hezbollah’s efforts to rearm and rebuild its terror infrastructure with Iranian support.”

Israel’s apathetic reaction to the announcement has not been limited to words, as the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) targeted a vehicle with a drone in southern Lebanon’s district of Sidon on Thursday.

On Friday, January 9, Israeli fighter jets renewed the aerial aggression with a series of strikes across southern Lebanon and the Beqaa region.

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