Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that Israeli forces will remain stationed at five occupied positions in southern Lebanon as long as Hezbollah retains weapons.
Katz commented that “our presence at five points in southern Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire agreement, but we imposed it, and the United States accepted it.”
Israeli forces continue to occupy five points along the Blue Line–the border between Lebanon and Israel–of which they took control during the height of its war with Hezbollah in 2024. This is a central point of contention between Israel and Lebanon, particularly after the 2024 Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire agreement.
The Israeli and Lebanese states share a mutual concern over Hezbollah’s continued possession of arms, even amidst Lebanese Armed Forces disarmament efforts centered on Hezbollah’s weapons.
However, Lebanese officials have expressed concerns over Israel’s violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty through Israel unilaterally acting on its security interests by striking southern Lebanon and maintaining forces in five points Israel deems strategic for its security interests.
Israel has carried out regular airstrikes on targets in southern Lebanon at the same time as LAF operations in the region, at times firing at them. Israeli officials have communicated skepticism regarding the LAF’s efficiency and capability to completely disarm Hezbollah, maintaining that their internal intelligence continues to show active weapons depots.
U.S. officials also grew in impatience towards the disarmament question, taking direct action of their own to sanction Hezbollah-linked financial institutions and individuals, anyone who obstructs the upcoming 2026 parliamentary elections, and proposing the idea of linking aid and support to carrying out objectives in a timely manner.
At the same time, Lebanese officials are balancing between various parties in order to avoid sowing further internal divisions, seeking to mitigate any alienation of the Shi’ite community that may occur through heightened operations against Hezbollah assets.
Despite these developments, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam declared in January that the Lebanese state has achieved full operational control south of the Litani River. On Monday, the Lebanese cabinet deliberated the state’s next steps, enacting a second phase of disarmament to commence north of the Litani, which should last four to eight months, LAF Commander Rodolphe Haykal stated.
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