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Lebanon’s army has blown up so many Hezbollah arms caches that it has run out of explosives, as it races to meet a year-end deadline to disarm the Shiite terrorist group in the south of the country under a ceasefire agreed with Israel, two sources told Reuters. The explosives shortage, which has not been previously reported, has not stopped the army from stepping up inspection missions to search for hidden weapons in the south, near Israel, the two said. One was a security source and the other a Lebanese official. It would have been unimaginable for Lebanon’s military to undertake such a mission at the height of Iran-backed Hezbollah’s power just a few years ago, and many observers were skeptical even after the ceasefire agreement. But Hezbollah was hit hard by Israel’s war last year, which killed thousands of terrorists and the upper ranks of both its military and political leadership, including its leader Hassan Nasrallah. The war also killed more than 1,100 women and children and destroyed large areas of southern and eastern Lebanon. The United States has continued to pressure Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah, which Washington designates as a terrorist organization. President Donald Trump’s deputy Middle East envoy Morgan Ortagus is in Beirut this week to discuss progress on disarmament with Lebanese officials. As they await U.S. deliveries of explosive charges and other military equipment, Lebanese troops are now sealing off weapons sites they find instead of destroying them, said one of the sources and two other people briefed on the army’s recent activities. Their searches uncovered nine new arms caches in September, the two other officials said. The security source said dozens of tunnels used by Hezbollah had also been sealed, and more soldiers were steadily being recruited to deploy to the south. Reuters spoke to 10 people, including Lebanese officials, security sources, diplomats and a Hezbollah official, all of whom said the army expects to complete its sweep of the south by the end of the year. Meeting the deadline would be a significant achievement for an institution once unable or unwilling to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding a military presence near Israel after the 2006 war — and for a country where Hezbollah was once the dominant political force. Army steps cautiously elsewhere in Lebanon Progress in the rest of the country looks far less certain. Despite its advances, the army wants to avoid inflaming tensions and is buying time for Lebanon’s politicians to reach a consensus on the group’s arsenal in other parts of the country, said a second Lebanese official close to Hezbollah and two security sources. The army has not published images of its operations or said the weapons belong to Hezbollah. Under the November 2024 ceasefire that ended more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon agreed that only state security forces should bear arms — meaning Hezbollah would be fully disarmed. Hezbollah has publicly committed to the ceasefire but is not a formal signatory. It insists the disarmament clause applies only to southern Lebanon. On Sept. 5, the cabinet adopted a detailed five-phase plan to establish a state monopoly on arms, starting in the south and gradually moving north and east, the security sources and the second Lebanese official said. The army said it would clear the south by December but did not commit to a timeline for the rest of the country. The government said the plan depends on Israel halting airstrikes that have continued despite the ceasefire. All sources said the army faces a difficult political path to achieve full disarmament. Ed Gabriel, head of the Washington-based American Task Force Lebanon, who met with Lebanon’s military and political leaders in October, said the army’s cautious approach reflects fears of civil strife if it moves too fast outside the south. “It’s a Lebanese answer to disarmament,” he said. Hezbollah has not opposed the seizure of unmanned weapons caches in the south and has not fired on Israel since the November truce. However, it has publicly refused to give up its weapons elsewhere, hinting that conflict could erupt if the state moves against the group. Moving north and east without political consensus risks confrontation with Hezbollah terrorists or protests by Lebanon’s Shiite community, among whom the group remains popular, the two security sources and the second Lebanese official said. In a written statement to Reuters, Hezbollah’s media office said the ceasefire meant Lebanon’s army was fully responsible for the area south of the Litani River, which crosses southern Lebanon near Israel. But any disarmament north of the river would require political consensus, it said. “The rest depends on a political settlement, which we don’t yet have. The army is betting on time,” said a Lebanese official close to the group. The army still fears a standoff with Hezbollah’s supporters could again split the institution, as it did during Lebanon’s 15-year civil war, one Lebanese official told Reuters. In a speech Sunday, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem called the army’s approach “good and balanced” but warned that he hoped the army was not considering clashing with the Shiite community. The media offices of the Lebanese army, cabinet and presidency did not respond to questions from Reuters. The Israeli military also declined to comment. Multiple weapons caches found and destroyed The army does not have its own intelligence on Hezbollah’s stockpiles, two security sources told Reuters. It has relied on information supplied by Israel to “the Mechanism,” a committee established under the truce deal and chaired by the United States, including France, Israel, Lebanon and U.N. peacekeepers. By late May, the army was receiving so many reports from the Mechanism that it struggled to keep up with inspection requests, the sources said. When troops found a depot, they kept ammunition or equipment compatible with their own arms and destroyed rockets, launchers and other materials, the sources said. Operations by the U.N. peacekeeping force UNIFIL in the south uncovered tunnels dozens of meters long and unexploded ordnance, according to UNIFIL statements. The army ran out of explosives by June. In August, six troops were killed while trying to dismantle an arms depot. Reuters could not determine further details about the incident. The United States has pledged to help. In September, it announced $14 million in demolition charges and other aid to help Lebanese troops “degrade Hezbollah” and approved $192 million in additional assistance to the army the day before the U.S. government shutdown. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen pushed for the aid after visiting southern Lebanon in August, saying she was impressed by the army’s efforts and convinced it needed more support, an aide in her office told Reuters. It could still take months for the explosives to reach Lebanon, a source familiar with the process said. Uncertain future In recent months, Hezbollah’s stance on the future of its weapons has appeared fluid. In public, the group warned the state not to seize its arsenal but said it would be willing to discuss its weapons if Israel commits to a lasting ceasefire. Privately, some Hezbollah representatives have suggested progress could be made if reconstruction allows Shiite residents to return to destroyed villages and towns, the Lebanese official close to the group said. Others have flatly rejected any disarmament. The group is still holding internal discussions about its arsenal and appears to be playing for time, the Lebanese official close to Hezbollah and a Lebanese political source said. In its written statement, Hezbollah said the status of its weapons depends on an end to Israeli aggression, Israel’s withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory, the return of prisoners and the start of reconstruction. Next steps pose challenges Security sources say the lack of intelligence makes it difficult for the army to estimate what Hezbollah still holds, especially in the eastern Bekaa Valley, where the group is believed to store most of its long-range missiles and other strategic weapons. Israel has provided some reports of weapons in areas north of the Litani, but the army considers them too sensitive to act on without political consensus, one of the security sources and a diplomat based in Lebanon said. Despite supplying intelligence, Israel is also proving an obstacle in the south, officials briefed on the cabinet meeting said. Several soldiers have been wounded by Israeli fire during inspection missions, the two security sources said. Israeli drones have dropped grenades near soldiers and U.N. peacekeepers, according to UNIFIL. The army has warned that Israel’s presence of five hilltops within Lebanon near the border could delay a full sweep of the area, the sources said. When Lebanese troops tried to build a simple watchtower to monitor the border, Israel objected. The tower remains unmanned. The Israeli military did not respond to questions about the wounded Lebanese troops or the abandoned tower. Washington wants Lebanon to speed up disarmament in the rest of the country once it meets the year-end deadline for the south, a congressional aide said. U.S. envoy Tom Barrack has warned of possible Israeli action if the deadline is missed. “The U.S. sees that Lebanon needs to do more, and faster,” Gabriel said. The State Department said the United States fully supports Lebanon’s “courageous and historic decision to disarm Hezbollah.” “The region and the world are watching carefully,” the spokesperson said.
