PARIS/BEIRUT: French, Saudi Arabian, and American officials held talks with the head of the Lebanese army on Thursday in Paris aimed at finalising a roadmap to enable a mechanism for the disarmament of the Hezbollah group, diplomats said. Israel and Lebanon agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire in 2024, ending more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah that severely weakened the Iran-backed group.

Since then, the sides have traded accusations over violations with Israel questioning the Lebanese army’s efforts to disarm Hezbollah. Israeli warplanes have increasingly targeted Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and even in the capital.

Speaking after the meeting, France’s foreign ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux said the talks had agreed to document seriously with evidence the Lebanese army’s efforts to disarm Hezbollah, as well as strengthening the existing ceasefire mechanism.

Ceasefire at risk

With growing fear the ceasefire could unravel, the Paris meeting aimed to create more robust conditions to identify, support, and verify the disarmament process and dissuade Israel from escalation, four European and Lebanese diplomats and officials said.

With legislative elections due in Lebanon in 2026, there are fears that political paralysis and party politics will further fuel instability and make President Joseph Aoun less likely to press for disarmament, the diplomats and officials said.

“The situation is extremely precarious, full of contradictions, and it won’t take much to light the powder keg,” said one senior official speaking on condition of anonymity.

“Aoun doesn’t want to make the disarmament process too public because he fears it will antagonise and provoke tensions with the Shia community in the south of the country.” With the Lebanese army lacking capacity to disarm Hezbollah, the idea would be to reinforce the existing ceasefire mechanism with French, US, and possibly other military experts, along with UN peacekeeping forces, the diplomats and officials said.

Israeli strikes

Israel launched several strikes on southern and eastern Lebanon on Thursday, Lebanese state media reported, as the Israeli military said it targeted Hezbollah infrastructure, including a military compound.

The attacks come as the committee monitoring the ceasefire, in effect since November 2024, which includes the United States, France, and the UN in addition to Lebanon and Israel, is set to meet on Friday.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported several strikes in the south and east.

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2025