Israel pushed back against Lebanon’s assertion that militias in the south of the Arab country had been disarmed, saying efforts to force Hezbollah to lay down its weapons were “far from sufficient.”

In a statement on Thursday, the Lebanese army said it achieved the first phase of a larger strategy to disarm all militias on its soil. The move is aimed at lowering tensions with neighboring Israel and stopping it from returning to war with Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia that’s long dominated southern Lebanon.

The military said it had demobilized the area between the Litani river and Israeli border, marking a rare assertion of state control in the region where Hezbollah built up massive infrastructure to target the Jewish state.

“Hezbollah must be fully disarmed,” Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said. “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 rear.”

Hezbollah has not commented on Lebanon’s statement.

Israel has fired missiles and rockets regularly into Lebanese territory in recent months, raising fears that a ceasefire with Hezbollah agreed to in late 2024 would collapse. Israel says that’s necessary to stop Hezbollah rebuilding its arsenal. A key element of the U.S.- and French-backed truce was that Hezbollah would lay down its arms, first south of the Litani and then in the rest of Lebanon.

The months-long war between the two sides — following almost a year of skirmishes as Hezbollah fired on Israel in solidarity with Gaza-based Hamas — devastated southern Lebanon. Thousands of people, mostly in Lebanon, were killed.

The Lebanese military said it now had operational control over all territories south of the river aside from those occupied by Israeli forces. It said it’s still trying to deal with unexploded ordnance and destroy tunnels used by Hezbollah.

Since late 2025, Israel has carried out near-daily strikes on Hezbollah personnel and sites, killing dozens of people, according to the United Nations, which has peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.

The Lebanese army says Israel’s attacks and occupation of around five outposts in Lebanon have hindered its ability to disarm Hezbollah.

Under a government plan from September, the Lebanese army has stepped up its clearing of tunnels, rocket positions and other Hezbollah sites. It was trying to finish the task by the end of last year and was facing pressure from the U.S. to do so.

Hezbollah — also a political party with plenty of support among Shiite Muslims — has maintained a strong military presence in southern Lebanon since Israel withdrew in 2000, operating independently of the Lebanese state. Until the 2024 war with Israel, which saw many of its commanders killed and weapons destroyed, it was widely considered one of the world’s most powerful militias.

Hezbollah also suffered a setback when Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad was toppled just over a year ago. He was a key ally and allowed Iran to send weaponry to Hezbollah via Syria.

Even so, the Lebanese army is under-resourced and has been cautious about confronting Hezbollah directly.

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—With assistance from Dan Williams.

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