The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon, brokered by the US and France just a year ago, required Hezbollah to remove its fighters and weapons from the south of the Litani river, about 30km (20 miles) from the border with Israel, and Israeli troops to withdraw from areas of southern Lebanon that they invaded during the war. Thousands of Lebanese soldiers would then be sent to areas that had been effectively under Hezbollah control. But Hezbollah has not removed all of its troops from the area south of the Litani. Instead, it has been taking delivery of more weapons that Iran still manages, despite the new regime in Damascus, to smuggle through Syria to the terror group, and has been building up its forces in southern Beirut and the Bekaa Valley. And the Lebanese Army, that was supposed to oversee Hezbollah’s withdrawal from south of the Litani, has been unwilling to clash with Hezbollah directly, leaving it largely intact. This has frustrated the Americans, who provided the Lebanese Army in 2025 with hundreds of millions of dollars worth of weapons, as well as financial assistance, but have seen no progress being made by the Lebanese army in its promised removal of Hamas from southern Lebanon.
More on American and Israeli frustration with the Lebanese Army can be found here: “Israel, US ‘running out of patience’ on Hezbollah disarming, may lead to war, officials warn,” by Amichai Stein, Jerusalem Post, November
Israel and the United States’ patience “is beginning to run out” over the Lebanese Army’s failure to disarm Hezbollah, Israeli officials told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.
According to the officials, Hezbollah is actively rebuilding its capabilities, smuggling missiles across the Syrian border, and restoring positions and bases. Such actions, the officials warn, may lead to increased operational activity on Israel’s northern border….
Earlier on Thursday, Israeli Air Force jets carried out several strikes against multiple launch sites, a weapons storage facility, and other Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure in southern Lebanon. Some 20 munitions were dropped on 10 different targets….
The IDF has been forced to act, with 1,200 operations on Hezbollah targets, both because the Lebanese army has not been doing its job of enforcing the ceasefire south of the Litani, and because Hezbollah has been busy rebuilding its outposts, enlarging its supply of weapons, and engaging new recruits.
On Thursday, [Nov.27] a few days after the assassination of Hezbollah’s chief of staff Haytham Ali Tabatabai, Hezbollah issued a statement asserting that Lebanon and its people have the right to do whatever is necessary to stop the enemy and prevent harm to the sanctity of the nation and its sovereignty. “A full year has passed since the ceasefire agreement, and Lebanon has not witnessed any commitment by Israel to halt its attacks,” the statement read.
Hezbollah has twisted things around. Israel is only attacking targets — men, weapons, and outposts — belonging to Hezbollah, because Hezbollah has not been disarmed, as was promised by Lebanon, but instead has been building up its forces. Israel would be delighted if the Lebanese Army were now to assume its responsibilities under the Israel-Lebanon agreement, so that the IDF need not have the burden of enforcing the ceasefire agreement alone.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun also released a statement marking the anniversary of the agreement, saying: “Today marks one year since the declaration of the ceasefire agreement, to which Lebanon has fully adhered, while Israel continues to refuse to implement it. The Lebanese Army has completely fulfilled its duties in the area of its deployment south of the Litani River.”
Lebanese President Aoun’s statement is wrong in every respect. The IDF pulled out, as promised, from the area between the Litani River and the Israeli border. But Hezbollah did not do the same, as Lebanon promised would happen under the ceasefire agreement. And while the Lebanese army does have some of its soldiers south of the Litani, they have been unwilling to use force against Hezbollah. There are two reasons for this. First, Hezbollah has a fearsome reputation among the Lebanese; its troops are battle-hardened while the Lebanese army soldiers are not, and despite American aid to the Lebanese army, Hezbollah’s operatives still have better weapons. Second, between 25% and 50% of the soldiers in the Lebanese army are themselves Shi’a, and reluctant to use force against fellow Shi’a in Hezbollah.
In the end, given what a poor job the Lebanese army has done so far in trying to enforce the ceasefire agreement, the IDF is almost certainly going to have to “enforce the ceasefire” by renewing the war, and retaking southern Lebanon all the way up to the Litani. The Lebanese Army had its chance to prove itself, was given money and weapons and a year to do its job, and it failed.
Wellington says
The Lebanese Army makes the Italian Army in WWII look like a superb and competent fighting force.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Yeah, if the Lebanese Army can’t disarm a militia that was decimated by Israel last year and hasn’t had a real chance to recover, then they are worse than useless. Israel should just invade and annex everything south of the Litani river, and expel all muslims to north of it. They could make do w/ Tyre
Billy says
Israel should continue to defend itself from Muslim attacks wherever Israel discovers them because Islam is the actual threat to Israel and all Non-Muslims(Qur’an 9:5, 29, 111; 49:15, etc.). Islam is the educational and inspirational source for Muslim violence and terrorism.
DEGENERATE ISLAM IS ANTICHRIST, AHISTORICAL, DECEITFUL, MILITARISTIC, AND POLITICAL against the USA Constitution and Western Laws to conquer and to subjugate Non-Muslims using MUSLIM-TERRORIST-CRIMINAL-GANG ENTERPRISES with ISLAMIC LAW(SHARIA) and with CONTINUOUS, TERROR PROPAGANDA from Islam’s Qur’an to make Islam supreme(Qur’an 3:28, 54; 7:99; 8:30, 60; 16:106, etc.).
Deceitful Allah affirms Non-Muslims as enemies of Allah while Muslims undermine a society from within using the man-made book of lies and deceit, the Qur’an(Qur’an 3:54; 7:99; 8:30, etc.). Allah in Qur’an 4:101 says, “…Surely the infidels[Non-Muslims] were your clear enemies.” Corrupt Allah in Qur’an 8:39 says, “And engage in war with them[Non-Muslims] until there will not be sedition and the religion will be completely to Allah…” As a result, Non-Muslims are marked for death by Islam and its Muslims.
Islam is a delusional, indoctrinating, corrupt fraud because there is NO MECCA, NO MUHAMMAD, and NO Qur’an in the 7th century AD in Saudi Arabia despite the Muslim Standard Islamic Narrative claims; the Deceitful House of Islam is founded on propaganda, lies, intimidation, and deceit where Islam’s 1400-year traditions are based on fallacy and myth including a more than 300-year gap with no documented history. Hence, NEVER give money to Islamic Countries, Islamic Organizations, Mosques, Islamic Schools, etc. because your are funding your ultimate destruction. Islam must be banned as illegal, and we have the legal right to defend ourselves from Muslim violence.
Muslims are to be seditionist terrorists for Allah with their MONEY and their LIVES. Allah in Qur’an 49:15 teaches, “Surely the believers[Muslims] are only those who believed in Allah and his messenger. They do not doubt, and they performed jihad with their MONEY and their LIVES for the sake of Allah. Those are the truthful.” Again, Islam is a FACTITIOUS IDEOLOGY and CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION despicably fabricated over time into the 21sth century, and there is NO PEACE only genocidal obliteration with Islam and its deceitful Muslims(Qur’an 7:18; 8:39: 9:5, 29, 111; 11:119; 32:13, etc.).
ALLAH claims MUSLIMS are a greater TERROR than serpentine Allah. Allah in Qur’an 59:13 says, “You[Muslims] are a greater terror in their chests than Allah. This is because they[Jews & Christians] are people who do not understand.” Allah in Qur’an 9:29 commands, “Engage in war with those who do not believe in Allah nor in the last day. Nor forbid what Allah and his messenger forbid, nor believe in the religion of the truth among those who have given the book until they pay the jizyah out of hand and they are subdued.”
Islam, its Mosques, its Schools, its Organizations, etc. are Terrorist-Criminal Enterprises of hatred and enmity against all Non-Muslims as totalitarian Islam, the House of Satan, islamizes the society with impunity(Qur’an 5:14; 9:5, 29, 111, etc.). As taught from Islam’s Qur’an, Islam should be banned for its incitement, funding, and promotion of violence, terrorism, hatred, human trafficking, and discrimination against women, children, and Non-Muslims.
Allah stirs hatred against Christians until the resurrection day as Qur’an 5:14 instructs, “And some of those who say, ‘Surely we are Nasara (Christians),’ we took their covenant. So they have forgotten a part of what they were reminded of, so we have stirred up ENMITY and HATRED among them until the resurrection day. And Allah will inform them of what they were doing.” See also Qur’an 60:4.
Taffy says
These Hizb’allah jihadis merely see their defeat as a minor set back. They probably verily believe that if they stick their butts higher in the air when praying to Allah, they will be blessed with victory. Fighting Hizb’allah is like fighting a rodent infestation in an apartment house. It does no good to kill some of them; you have to kill them all, or the problem remains.
Israel needs to annex everything up to the Litani River to minimize the Hizb’allah threat.