Illustrative image. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced on May 28 that it was reorganizing its defenses on the Lebanese border, six months into a ceasefire with Hezbollah that was brokered by the United States.
The ceasefire ended a 14-month-long confrontation that began with Hezbollah launching attacks against Israel in support of the Gaza Strip a day after the October 7 Hamas-led surprise attack of 2023.
The 146th Reserve Division, which had been tasked with the western portion of the border with Lebanon, had been withdrawn, according to the military, which said that the 91st “Galilee” Regional Division is retaking responsibility for the entire front.
The IDF also said that the number of forces on the Lebanese border, triple the amount of troops compared to before the war with Hezbollah, will remain more or less the same even after the demobilization of the 146th Division.
The same troops will be placed under the 91st Division instead, which is also forming a third regional brigade to be tasked with the central region of the border, in addition to the 300th “Baram” Brigade in the west and the 769th “Hiram” Brigade in the east, the military added. Noting that the new brigade is now being staffed by the division’s 8th Reserve Armored Brigade.
In addition, the IDF said that division was in the process of incorporating the newly revived 946th Air Defense Battalion, which operates anti-drone systems.
Since the start of the ceasefire on November 27, the IDF has continued to strike Hezbollah members and sites, alleging that they constituted violations of the agreement. Over 180 Hezbollah members, including 38 senior commanders and another 28 lower-ranking officers in the group, have been killed since then.
In fact, an Israeli strike hit the southern Lebanese town of Yater on May 28, killing a commander in Hezbollah. According to the IDF, the commander, named by local media as Nabil Balaghi, was responsible for the group’s operations in the town and nearby areas.
During the war, Balaghi “advanced terror attacks on IDF troops and Israel,” the IDF said, adding that recently he attempted to restore Hezbollah’s capabilities in the Yater area, which “constitutes a blatant violation of the [ceasefire] deal.”
In addition to regular strikes, Israeli troops are still deployed to five strategic posts several hundred meters inside southern Lebanon. The agreement calls on both Hezbollah and the IDF to fully withdraw from the region, with the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and United Nations peacekeepers taking control.
Israel’s continued strikes and presence in southern Lebanon all appear to be a part of a larger plan to mount more pressure on Hezbollah.
While visiting the Northern Command on May 28, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir vowed that Israel will continue to “weaken” Hezbollah.
“We will continue to act, remove threats and weaken Hezbollah to protect the northern communities and the State of Israel,” Zamir said in remarks published by the IDF.
“The Northern Command changed the security reality in the area and strengthened the security on the border,” he added.
The Israeli moves came amid reports suggesting that both Hezbollah and the LAF were implementing the ceasefire agreement.
The Wall Street Journal reported on May 29 that the LAF had dismantled most of Hezbollah’s posts and weapons stockpile in the country’s south, with the help of Israeli intelligence passed along by the U.S., and that Israeli and American officials were pleasantly surprised by the progress.
The report, which also cites Arab officials, said, however, that the LAF was still facing the challenge of completing the job in southern Lebanon and implementing its plan to disarm Hezbollah.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said in an interview with the U.S. news outlet that his government has achieved 80% of its objectives in disarming militias in the south.
“All over the Lebanese territory, the state should have a monopoly on arms,” Salam said, banging his fists on a table. “We don’t want to put the country onto a civil-war track, but believe me, this is not going to affect our commitment to the need to extend and consolidate the authority of the state.”
An IDF official was also quoted by the outlet as saying: “We do see a lot of areas where the Lebanese army is way more effective than expected. The IDF is generally pleased by this trend and we are expecting it to continue.”
Overall, the IDF is not done yet with Hezbollah, which took heavy losses during the last round of fighting. While Israel appears to be prioritizing pressuring the group into submission, it could resume the war on Lebanon in coming months, especially if it managed to secure a decisive victory over Hamas in Gaza.
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