"Israel" announced on Monday its intention to support Lebanon's efforts to disarm Hezbollah, tying the move to a US-led roadmap that demands the Lebanese Army take control of all "unauthorized" weapons.

The statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office followed a Lebanese cabinet decision earlier this month to approve the objectives of a US plan presented by envoy Tom Barrack. The proposal sets a timetable for the Resistance's disarmament by the end of 2025, in exchange for a phased Israeli withdrawal and international funding for reconstruction.

It is noteworthy that following the November 2024 ceasefire agreement with Lebanon, "Israel" moved to quickly violate it and occupied five points along the border, and has so far violated the ceasefire thousands of times, as documented by the UN.

According to the plan, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) would begin seizing heavy weapons, while "Israel" would gradually reduce its presence in the five positions along the southern border. The process would be monitored by a US-led mechanism and supported by donors including France, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.

Resistance response

Hezbollah has categorically rejected the move, stressing that disarmament cannot take place while "Israel" continues its occupation of Lebanese land and daily aggressions against civilians. The movement argued that its weapons are a legitimate deterrent that has repeatedly defended Lebanon from Israeli invasions and attacks.

Sheikh Naim Qassem, Hezbollah's Deputy Secretary-General, condemned the government's approval of the plan as "dangerous" and accused it of executing a US-Israeli project that risks plunging Lebanon into internal strife. He added that the Resistance draws its legitimacy "from the blood of martyrs, not from government approval," and vowed that the Resistance will never relinquish its weapons as long as aggression persists.

Read more: Resistance won't give up arms, gov. decision dangerous: Sheikh Qassem

Violence continues

The US-brokered ceasefire that ended the 14-month war in November 2024 required Lebanon to collect unauthorized weapons south of the Litani River and "Israel" to halt offensive operations. Yet since then, "Israel" has carried out over 3,500  violations of the truce and has conducted strikes north of the Litani River, and even against Beirut's Southern Suburb. These attacks have resulted in the killing of nearly 200 people and the injury of hundreds more. The United Nations has also confirmed that at least 71 civilians have been killed in Israeli operations since the ceasefire took effect.

Between October 2023 and November 2024, Israeli bombardments killed nearly 4,000 people in Lebanon and wounded more than 16,000, Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health reported. Even after the ceasefire, "Israel" has continued drone strikes and air raids that killed dozens of civilians.