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Most military sites belonging to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon have been placed under the control of the Lebanese military, a source close to the group told AFP on April 12.
The withdrawal of Hezbollah from southern Lebanon was one of the main terms of the United States-brokered ceasefire that ended the confrontation with Israel last November. Under the agreement, only United Nations peacekeepers and the Lebanese military should be deployed in the country’s south.
The agreement specified that the group should dismantle its military infrastructure in the south and move its fighters north of the Litani River.
“Out of 265 Hezbollah military positions identified south of the Litani, the movement has ceded about 190 to the army,” the source told AFP.
Hezbollah began launching attacks against the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on October 8 of 2023, a day after its ally, the Palestinian Hamas Movement, launched a surprise attack from the Gaza Strip into Israel. After taking heavy losses in the confrontation, the group agreed to the ceasefire proposed by the U.S.
According to the ceasefire agreement, which entered into effect on November 27, Israel was supposed to withdraw from southern Lebanon by February 18. However, the IDF is still present at five strategic posts close to Israel’s border. The military also continues to launch strikes against Hezbollah, citing alleged threats to Israel’s security.
Faced with unprecedented pressure from Israel, the U.S. and even the Lebanese government, Hezbollah recently signaled its readiness to disarm in the framework of a national defense strategy. Still, the group demanded a complete Israeli withdrawal from the south and a halt to all strikes on Lebanon.
The confrontation with Israel weakened Hezbollah to an unexpected level, curbing the group’s Influence in Lebanon and across the Middle East.
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