Lebanon is days away from completing the disarmament of Hezbollah south of the Litani River, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Saturday.

In a statement following talks with Simon Karam, Lebanon’s top civilian negotiator on the committee overseeing the truce, Salam said the first phase of the government’s weapons consolidation plan was nearing completion.

“The first phase of the weapons consolidation plan related to the area south of the Litani River is only days away from completion,” his office said.

Salam added that the state was prepared to move to the second phase — confiscating weapons north of the Litani — based on a plan drawn up by the Lebanese army under a government mandate. 

The cabinet is expected to meet at the start of the new year to assess the first phase. Salam told Asharq Al-Awsat that the second phase would extend to areas between the Litani and Awali rivers, followed by a third phase covering Beirut and Mount Lebanon, and a fourth encompassing the Bekaa Valley and remaining regions.

Lebanese sources said the army has completed most of its report on operations south of the Litani, including the seizure and destruction of thousands of tons of ammunition and military equipment and the discovery of around 100 military tunnels. The army is unlikely to seek an extension to the year-end deadline, though a short “technical” extension of a few weeks could be requested if needed.

Salam declined to detail the government’s next steps once it receives the army’s final report, but said the military had imposed full state authority from south of the Litani to the southern border, with the exception of areas still occupied by Israel. He said Israel should withdraw from those positions without delay.

He confirmed the government would review the first phase early next year and stressed that Israel must take reciprocal measures, including halting ceasefire violations. He said Lebanon’s move to the second phase would proceed regardless.

Progress, Salam said, depends on Hezbollah’s cooperation with efforts to limit weapons to the state, revive state institutions in the south and launch reconstruction with international support.

“Imposing a state monopoly over weapons is a Lebanese necessity before it is an international one,” he said, urging all parties to facilitate an end to the cycle of violence.