Lebanon's army says it now controls the south—except for five hilltops Israel refuses to give up. On January 8, 2026, the military announced it had completed phase one of disarming Hezbollah and other militias south of the Litani River, bringing weapons under state control for the first time in 40 years. Over 9,000 soldiers swept the war-battered region, clearing unexploded ordnance and tunnels left from the devastating 2024 war that killed 4,000 people and displaced 1.3 million. Hours later, Iran's foreign minister arrived in Beirut for tense talks, and the next day Israel resumed strikes across southern Lebanon—business as usual despite the milestone announcement.
Lebanon's army says it now controls the south—except for five hilltops Israel refuses to give up. On January 8, 2026, the military announced it had completed phase one of disarming Hezbollah and other militias south of the Litani River, bringing weapons under state control for the first time in 40 years. Over 9,000 soldiers swept the war-battered region, clearing unexploded ordnance and tunnels left from the devastating 2024 war that killed 4,000 people and displaced 1.3 million. Hours later, Iran's foreign minister arrived in Beirut for tense talks, and the next day Israel resumed strikes across southern Lebanon—business as usual despite the milestone announcement.
The disarmament announcement hasn't changed the fundamental dynamics. Israel calls the progress "encouraging but far from sufficient," claiming Hezbollah is already rebuilding, and continues daily airstrikes. Hezbollah says it won't disarm north of the Litani until Israel withdraws completely. Lebanon's foreign minister confronted Iran's visiting diplomat to find a "new approach" on Hezbollah's weapons—a remarkable public rebuke. And the entire effort hinges on a fragile Washington-brokered ceasefire that UNIFIL says Israel has violated 10,000 times since November. Lebanon is trying to do what the UN failed to accomplish in 18 years: actually enforce Resolution 1701. Two days after the victory lap, it looks just as impossible.
