Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks to the press during a visit to the shrine of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut's southern suburbs on January 8, 2026. Lebanon's army said on January 8 that it had completed the first phase of its plan to disarm Hezbollah in south Lebanon, while Israel called the efforts encouraging but "far from sufficient". Under heavy US pressure and amid fears of expanded Israeli strikes, Lebanon has committed to disarming the Iran-backed militant group, which was badly weakened after more than a year of hostilities including two months of all-out war that ended with a November 2024 ceasefire.