Beirut: The Lebanese army has successfully dismantled more than 90 percent of Hezbollah’s military infrastructure south of the Litani River, as part of efforts to assert increased control over the region under a UN-backed ceasefire agreement with Israel. This development was confirmed by a security official on Wednesday.

According to France24.com, the dismantling of Hezbollah’s infrastructure near the Israeli border has been ongoing since a ceasefire was implemented in November. A security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, stated, “We have dismantled over 90 percent of the infrastructure in the area south of the Litani.” The official further explained that much of Hezbollah’s underground infrastructure in the region has been “filled and closed” by the army.

The Lebanese army has also reinforced control over crossing points into the area south of the Litani to prevent the transfer of weapons from the north to the south. Lebanese President Michel Aoun, during a
visit to the United Arab Emirates, asserted that the Lebanese army is “fulfilling its role without any problems or opposition.” He identified Israel’s occupation of five strategic border positions as the sole obstacle to the full deployment of Lebanese soldiers in the border area.

Under the ceasefire agreement, Israel was expected to withdraw all its forces from southern Lebanon. However, Israeli troops continue to occupy five positions they consider strategic. The security official noted that Hezbollah has been cooperative with the Lebanese army, stating, “Hezbollah withdrew and said do whatever you want… there is no longer a military (infrastructure) for Hezbollah south of the Litani.”

Additionally, the official mentioned that most of the munitions discovered by the army were either damaged by Israeli bombing or in such poor condition that they were deemed unsafe to store, leading the army to detonate them.