hezbollah-exits-south-hands-over-bases-to-lebanese-army

Hezbollah has reportedly handed over its military infrastructure in southern Lebanon to the country’s armed forces, sources confirmed on Saturday.

 

The group has also disengaged from combat and redeployed its fighters northwards—approximately 30 km—as part of a UN-backed resolution aimed at establishing a permanent ceasefire.

 

The resolution stipulates that only United Nations peacekeepers and the Lebanese army should be deployed in the country’s south.

 

The deal required the Iran-backed group to dismantle its remaining military infrastructure in the region and relocate its fighters north of the Litani River, about 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the Israeli border.

 

“Out of 265 Hezbollah military positions identified south of the Litani, the movement has ceded about 190 to the army,” a source revealed to reporters.

 

Hezbollah began near-daily rocket and drone attacks on northern Israel on 8 October 2023, a day after the Hamas-led deadly assault on southern Israel. The attacks from Hezbollah forced the evacuation of 60,000 residents from northern Israel, caused dozens of deaths, and inflicted significant structural damage.

 

Recently, some Hezbollah officials have indicated a readiness to discuss the group’s arsenal with the Lebanese government. President Joseph Aoun, a US-backed former army chief who assumed office in January after a two-year political vacuum, has pledged to ensure a state monopoly on arms.

 

The group has reportedly shown signs of complying with the terms set by the United Nations Security Council resolution, which may lay the groundwork for a broader, permanent ceasefire with Israel.

 

Analysts also point to Hezbollah’s waning manpower and domestic support after its prolonged involvement in Syria’s civil war. The group, acting at Tehran’s behest, had supported the Assad regime in a brutal campaign against rebels, including groups like HTS, who have since consolidated control in parts of Syria—allegedly with CIA assistance.

 

Reports estimate that 350,000 to 450,000 civilians, including children, were killed during the 13-year-long Syrian conflict, as the Assad regime clung to power with backing from Iran and its proxies, including Hezbollah.