On Tuesday, the Lebanese Army Command decided to resume patrolling the area south of the Litani River in coordination with UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon).
The presence of the Lebanese army is symbolic. Hezbollah controls the entire south of Lebanon © LMD
On Tuesday, the Lebanese Army Command decided to resume patrolling the area south of the Litani River in coordination with UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon).
Its troops’ operations were suspended three days ago when the two forces’ joint patrol came under fire from Israel, close to Aita al-Shaab, in Bint Jbeil district.
According to a European diplomatic source, these patrols, which have been reduced to a strict minimum since the start of cross-border fighting in southern Lebanon in October, are vital to the army’s agenda, as the military institution has been trying from the outset to demonstrate “neutrality” in the conflict — distinguishing itself from Hezbollah and its actions.
The past few days have unfolded like a geopolitical drama of historic proportions in Lebanon, where Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Shia militia long considered untouchable, appears to be teetering on the edge of a seismic shift.
In a defiant speech on Friday evening, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General, Sheikh Naim Qassem, insisted that the group “will not allow anyone to disarm it,” rejecting growing internal calls for the Lebanese state to reclaim exclusive control over the country’s weapons.
A Latin American diplomatic source revealed to the Saudi news channel Al-Hadath that Hezbollah has recently relocated approximately 400 of its regional commanders, along with their families, to several countries across South America — including Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, and Ecuador.
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