Arms collection roadmap: Lebanese Army maps out multi-stage disarmament plan—Key phases

Report by Edmond Sassine, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi    

When the Lebanese Cabinet reviewed the army's plan on Friday to place all weapons under state control, the proposal was rooted in more than nine months of field experience.

During that time, the Lebanese Army, working with U.N. peacekeepers (UNIFIL), carried out operations south of the Litani River, dismantling facilities and seizing arms and ammunition belonging to Hezbollah. That effort forms the backbone of the plan's first stage.

According to the roadmap, the first phase will complete disarmament south of the Litani. The second stage will move north of the river, up to the Awali River at the gateway to South Lebanon. The third phase will focus on Beirut and its suburbs, followed by the Bekaa Valley in the fourth stage. The fifth and final phase will extend to the rest of the country, including northern Lebanon.

In addition, the army is tasked with preventing the transfer of weapons between regions, tightening control over the northern and eastern land borders, curbing smuggling, and addressing the presence of arms in Palestinian refugee camps.

Army commander General Rodolph Haykal, who briefed ministers on the plan, declined to specify a timeline for each stage. He replied to the ministers who were asking while he presented the plan that the army could determine when a phase begins, but not when it ends, since caches and facilities could be more extensive than anticipated.

Haykal also outlined key obstacles: ongoing Israeli strikes on Lebanese territory, the level of domestic cooperation with the army's mission, and the need for a favorable regional and international climate. A direct confrontation between Iran and Israel, he noted, would complicate implementation.

The army's limited resources also weigh heavily. 

Most engineering units are deployed in the south, where some soldiers have already been killed in operations, and shortages in manpower, equipment, and funding hinder the pace of progress. Haykal stressed the urgent need for material, human, and technical support to carry out tasks across Lebanese territory.

While the government had initially set the end of the year as the deadline for completing the disarmament process, it will now monitor implementation through monthly reports from the army leadership. Officials acknowledged that the December target is not likely to be definitive.