The Lebanese army says it has achieved the goal of a state monopoly on arms in the country’s south in an “effective and tangible way,” but says there is more work to be done to clear unexploded ordnance and tunnels in the area.

Axar.az, citing Times of Israel, reports that the army had set a year-end deadline to clear non-state weaponry — code for arms belonging to Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah — from southern Lebanon, which borders Israel, before moving on to other areas of the country.

It says it has extended operational control over the south, except for a handful of areas still controlled by Israeli troops.

The statement does not mention Hezbollah, which fought a year-long war with Israel, which ended in a November 2024 ceasefire that stipulated that only Lebanon’s state security forces are allowed to carry arms.

The Lebanese army has been working to disarm Hezbollah, which has resisted these efforts.

Israel has repeatedly said the work to eliminate Hezbollah’s presence in southern Lebanon hasn’t been sufficient, and has continued to conduct frequent strikes on Hezbollah officials and targets that it says breach the ceasefire understandings.

تنفيذًا لقرار مجلس الوزراء اللبناني الصادر بتاريخ ٥ آب ٢٠٢٥، يؤكد الجيش التزامه الكامل بتولي وممارسة المسؤولية الحصرية عن حفظ الأمن والاستقرار في لبنان، مع سائر الأجهزة الأمنية، ولا سيما في منطقة جنوب نهر الليطاني، وذلك وفاءً لواجباته المنصوص عليها في الدستور اللبناني والقوانين… pic.twitter.com/HIUaJpfznf

— الجيش اللبناني (@LebarmyOfficial) January 8, 2026