21 hours ago

Hugo BachegaMiddle East correspondent , Beirut

The Lebanese army says it has taken over security in the south of the country, which for decades had been dominated by the Iranian-backed movement Hezbollah, amid fears that Israel could escalate its military offensive against the group.

Lebanon has been under intense international pressure, particularly from the US, to disarm Hezbollah, a powerful militia and political party, since a ceasefire deal in November 2024 ended a devastating year-long war between Israel and Hezbollah.

The army had set a year-end deadline to clear the area south of the Litani river, about 30km (20 miles) from the border with Israel, of non-state weapons in the first phase of a government-backed plan.

The army said its objective had been achieved in an "effective and tangible way" but that there was more work to be done to clear unexploded ordnance and tunnels.

Responding to the Lebanese army's statement, the office of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said efforts toward fully disarming Hezbollah were "an encouraging beginning, but they are far from sufficient, as evidenced by Hezbollah's efforts to rearm and rebuild its terror infrastructure with Iranian support".

In recent months, Lebanese soldiers have dismantled infrastructure in areas once controlled by Hezbollah in the south without facing resistance from the group, which says it has complied with the ceasefire deal and removed its fighters from those areas, where Palestinian factions including Hamas had also operated.

But US and Israeli officials have expressed frustration with the pace of the army's efforts.

Israel has accused Hezbollah - which is considered a terrorist organisation by countries including the US and the UK - of trying to recover its military capabilities, including in the south. In recent days, Israeli media reported that Netanyahu had been given a green light by US President Donald Trump to intensify its military campaign against Hezbollah.

Despite the ceasefire, Israel has carried out near-daily attacks on targets it says are linked to Hezbollah and continues to occupy at least five positions in southern Lebanon.

The Lebanese government rejects the Israeli claims, and says Israel's actions are a violation of the ceasefire deal and an obstacle to the army's efforts.

Israel has not made the evidence it says it has about Hezbollah's activities public, and the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, known as Unifil, says it has seen no indication that the group is rebuilding its infrastructure in the areas where it operates.

Lebanese officials say the next stage of the army's plan will focus on the area between the Litani and the Awali rivers, which includes the port city of Sidon. There is no timeline for that, and the cash-strapped Lebanese army has also complained of insufficient funding and equipment.

Meanwhile, it is unclear if Hezbollah will resist the measures in other areas as it says it will not disarm north of the Litani. The group also has a strong presence in the eastern Bekaa valley and in Beirut's southern suburbs, known as the Dahieh.

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun has rejected the use of force against the group, saying this could exacerbate sectarian divisions and lead to violence.

Hezbollah - which is also a political party with representation in parliament and in the government, and a social movement that runs hospitals and schools - still enjoys significant support among Lebanon's Shia community.

Opponents, however, see this as a unique opportunity to disarm the group, after its losses in the war. Hezbollah, so far, has rejected calls from the authorities to discuss the future of its weapons.

In Lebanon's south, tens of thousands of residents remain displaced and communities lie in ruins, as Lebanon's international partners have conditioned funds for reconstruction on measures that include action against Hezbollah.