TEL AVIV (Reuters) -Israel is prepared to support Lebanon in efforts to disarm Hezbollah, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Monday, following a Lebanese cabinet decision to back a U.S. disarmament plan for the Iran-backed group.
Earlier this month, Lebanon’s cabinet approved the objectives of a U.S. framework aimed at disarming Hezbollah and other armed factions, a move that has sparked sharp divisions in the country.
Netanyahu’s office said that if the Lebanese Army begins implementing the plan, Israel would consider reciprocal steps, including reducing its military presence, in coordination with a U.S.-led security mechanism.
The disarmament roadmap was submitted by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack and outlines the most detailed proposal yet for curbing Hezbollah’s military power.
The group has rejected repeated calls to disarm, particularly after its war with Israel in late 2024, which left parts of Lebanon in ruins.
A U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel in November ended that conflict, called on Lebanon to confiscate all “unauthorized” weapons across the country and said Israel would stop offensive operations against Lebanese targets.
However, Israel has maintained troops at five positions along the southern border and continued to launch air strikes against what it says are Hezbollah fighters and weapons facilities.
(Reporting by Alexander Cornwell; Writing by Jana Choukeir; Editing by Peter Graff)
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