Military leaders meet on disarmament efforts in southern Lebanon: US

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Thursday that military leaders convened on Wednesday in Naqoura, Lebanon, to advance Hezbollah disarmament and reinforce regional stability.

The meeting brought together representatives from the US, France, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), CENTCOM said in a statement.

The Lebanese Armed Forces have "successfully" removed nearly 10,000 rockets, almost 400 missiles, and over 205,000 unexploded ordnance fragments during the past year, it said.

"Our Lebanese partners continue to lead the way in ensuring the disarmament of Lebanese Hizbollah is successful," Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM, said.

The US remains committed to supporting the Lebanese army's efforts as they work "tirelessly" to strengthen regional security.

Last week, Lt. Gen. Joseph Clearfield became the senior US military representative in Lebanon and chairman of the mechanism, which was established in November 2024 and is responsible for monitoring, verifying and assisting the enforcement of commitments made by Israel and Lebanon, including disarming Hezbollah.

“We are working with the LAF, UNIFIL, and our French and international partners to ensure the success of the cessation framework,” said Clearfield, according to the statement.

A ceasefire was reached in November 2024 following a year-long cycle of cross-border attacks between Hezbollah and Israel that began in October 2023. The conflict escalated into a full-scale Israeli offensive by September 2024, resulting in more than 4,000 deaths and around 17,000 injuries.

Under the terms of the truce, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by January 2025. However, it has so far only partially pulled out troops and continues to maintain a military presence at five border outposts.