**Incident Overview:**
On **Tuesday**, Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone strike in the town of **Aitaroun** resulted in **one death** and left **three others injured**, including a child. This incident occurred despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group.
**Israeli Military Actions:**
The Israeli army claimed responsibility for the strike, asserting they had killed a Hezbollah “platoon commander” as part of ongoing military operations. Israel has conducted raids in Lebanon even after a ceasefire was instituted on **November 27**, which had brought to a temporary halt over a year of hostilities, including two months of intense war.
**Ceasefire Violations:**
The United Nations Human Rights Office reported that since the ceasefire took effect, at least **71 civilians** had been killed by Israeli forces in Lebanon. In contrast, Hezbollah lawmaker **Hassan Fadlallah** noted that **186 people** had been killed overall since the truce began, without specifying how many were combatants.
**Truce Agreement Terms:**
The ceasefire was established under a UN Security Council resolution that stipulated that Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers should be the only military forces in southern Lebanon, and mandated the disarmament of all non-state groups like Hezbollah. Under this agreement, Hezbollah was expected to withdraw its fighters from south of the **Litani River** and dismantle any military infrastructure in the area.
**Lebanon’s Military Position:**
Following the ceasefire, Lebanon’s army has been increasing its presence in the south, near the border, as Israeli forces have been retreating. However, Israel continues to maintain five strategic positions in the region.
**Presidential Initiative for Disarmament:**
President **Joseph Aoun**, who was traveling to Qatar on the same day, expressed his goal to achieve a state monopoly on arms in **2025**, indicating a desire to disarm Hezbollah. In an interview with Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, he stated that the plan involves dialogue, particularly between the presidency and Hezbollah.
**Prospects for Hezbollah’s Disarmament:**
Analysts have suggested that disarming Hezbollah, once considered implausible, may be more attainable now due to the group’s perceived weakening from the recent conflict and increasing pressure from the United States on Lebanon and Iran concerning various issues, including Iran’s nuclear program.
**Integration Idea:**
President Aoun suggested that Hezbollah members might join the Lebanese army for retraining, similar to the integration of various armed groups after Lebanon’s civil war from **1975 to 1990**. He clarified, however, that Hezbollah would not be completely absorbed into the army nor form a separate unit within it.
**Hezbollah Position Update:**
According to a source close to Hezbollah, the group has relinquished control of approximately **190 out of 265** military positions it held south of the Litani River. President Aoun also mentioned that the Lebanese army has been successfully dismantling military tunnels and confiscating weapons without interference from Hezbollah, indicating a relatively collaborative environment during the ongoing disarmament efforts.
