Lebanese Army Commander General Rodolph Haykal is preparing to present a detailed plan to the Cabinet aimed at confining all weapons to state control in areas north of the Litani River, a move widely seen as a critical test of the government’s commitment to reassert sovereignty across the country.

Haykal is expected to brief ministers on the second phase of the disarmament plan shortly after returning from a visit to the United States, where he has been holding talks with American officials and seeking international support for the Lebanese Armed Forces.

A Cabinet session will be convened at Baabda Palace to hear Haykal’s presentation, which will include maps, timelines, and operational details, according to officials familiar with the process.

Government sources told the Lebanese daily Nidaa al-Watan that the roadmap has already been finalized and that the army chief carried it with him to Washington. The plan focuses on the zone between the Litani and Awali rivers, but also lays out broader steps for extending state authority progressively to Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and ultimately the entire country.

During his U.S. visit, Haykal is seeking military and logistical support for the Lebanese Army, part of a broader diplomatic effort ahead of an international conference scheduled for March in Paris to bolster Lebanon’s security forces. The army chief is also expected to travel to Saudi Arabia, Germany, and Qatar in the coming weeks to rally additional backing.

Officials say that continued international assistance is tied to a clear political commitment from Lebanon to enforce the principle that only the state should possess weapons.

“General Haykal is ready militarily, operationally, and on the ground to implement the plan,” one source said. “What he needs now is a firm and unequivocal green light from the government.”

The initiative, however, is expected to spark political friction within the Cabinet.

A majority of ministers, led by President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, are likely to approve the proposal and instruct the army to proceed. They argue that restricting weapons to the state is essential for restoring stability and for implementing the Taif Agreement, which ended Lebanon’s 1975–1990 civil war.

Ministers aligned with the Hezbollah-Amal bloc, by contrast, are expected to oppose the move and could walk out of the session, as they did during previous meetings in August.

Hezbollah has rejected any further steps toward disarmament before Israel ends military operations, withdraws fully from southern Lebanon, and releases detainees. The group maintains that the provisions of the November 2024 ceasefire agreement and UN Security Council Resolution 1701 apply only to areas south of the Litani River.

Despite the anticipated resistance, sources close to the president and the prime minister say the government is determined to move forward.

Back-channel contacts have been taking place between President Aoun and Speaker Nabih Berri in an effort to defuse tensions ahead of the Cabinet meeting. But with regional tensions running high and the outcome of U.S.–Iran negotiations still uncertain, analysts say Hezbollah is unlikely to soften its stance.

Even so, officials insist that the Cabinet will adopt the plan and that the army will carry it out, underscoring the leadership’s resolve to extend state authority across all Lebanese territory.