Saudi, French and US officials push Hezbollah disarmament plan
A protester hoists a framed portrait of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in front of Lebanese troops during a riot organized by the terror group outside the airport in Beirut, Lebanon, February 15, 2025.PHOTO:AFP
French, Saudi Arabian and US officials held talks with the head of the Lebanese army in Paris on Thursday aimed at finalising a roadmap to establish a mechanism for the disarmament of Hezbollah, diplomats said.
Israel and Lebanon agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire in 2024, ending more than a year of fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed group, which was significantly weakened during the conflict.
Since then, the two sides have traded accusations of violations, with Israel questioning the Lebanese army’s efforts to disarm Hezbollah. Israeli warplanes have increasingly targeted Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon and even in the capital.
Speaking after the meeting, French foreign ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux said the talks agreed to seriously document, with evidence, the Lebanese army’s efforts to disarm Hezbollah and to strengthen the existing ceasefire mechanism.
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Ceasefire at risk
Amid growing fears the ceasefire could unravel, the Paris meeting sought to create more robust conditions to identify, support and verify the disarmament process and to dissuade Israel from escalation, four European and Lebanese diplomats and officials told Reuters.
With legislative elections due in Lebanon in 2026, diplomats and officials said there were concerns that political paralysis and party rivalries could further fuel instability and reduce President Joseph Aoun’s willingness to press ahead with disarmament.
“The situation is extremely precarious, full of contradictions, and it won’t take much to light the powder keg,” one senior official said on condition of anonymity. “Aoun doesn’t want to make the disarming process too public because he fears it will antagonise and provoke tensions with the Shi’ite community in the south.”
Given the Lebanese army’s limited capacity to disarm Hezbollah, diplomats and officials said the plan would be to reinforce the existing ceasefire mechanism with French, U.S. and possibly other military experts, alongside U.N. peacekeeping forces.
The parties also agreed to hold a conference in February aimed at reinforcing the Lebanese army, Confavreux said.
Israel strikes
As officials met in Paris, multiple Israeli strikes hit towns in southern Lebanon and areas of the Bekaa Valley on Thursday, Lebanon’s state news agency NNA reported.
The Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah targets across several areas, including a military compound used for training, weapons storage and artillery launches, saying the activity violated understandings between Israel and Lebanon and posed a threat to Israel. It also said it struck a Hezbollah militant in the Taybeh area of southern Lebanon.
Commenting on the attacks, parliament speaker and Hezbollah-allied Amal Movement leader Nabih Berri said the strikes were an “Israeli message” to the Paris conference, NNA reported.