BEIRUT/ISTANBUL

Lebanon’s Cabinet on Monday reviewed the army’s first monthly report on implementing a national plan to restrict weapons possession to state authorities.

The session took place at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of Beirut, under the chairmanship of President Joseph Aoun.

Army chief Gen. Rodolphe Haykal presented the report, which outlined progress on the plan drafted by the military leadership to ensure that all weapons in the country are placed under state control, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA).

The Cabinet approved the weapons control plan in early September but decided to keep its content and discussions confidential.

The initiative, adopted in August, also covers the Hezbollah group’s arsenal and tasks the army with finalizing and implementing the plan by the end of 2025.

In a news conference after the session, Information Minister Paul Morcos said ministers reviewed the report, which covers implementation efforts across all Lebanese regions.

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 this year. However, it has so far only partially pulled out troops and continues to maintain a military presence at five border outposts.