Lebanese army and Hezbollah cooperation on site handovers south of Litani River: Here’s what we know

Report by Edmond Sassine, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

It was notable what Agence France-Presse reported — citing a source described as close to Hezbollah: most of the group’s military positions south of the Litani River are now under the control of the Lebanese army.

The source said there were 265 military sites formerly operated by Hezbollah in that region, of which about 190 have been handed over.

When asked about the report, Hezbollah officials refer inquiries to a previous statement from the group’s media relations office, which asserts that Hezbollah does not rely on unofficial sources and that its positions are expressed exclusively through official statements or remarks by its leaders. 

However, an official who spoke to LBCI confirmed that Hezbollah is fully cooperating with the Lebanese army and that the handover of the sites is a natural result of that cooperation. He said the army has carried out its operations south of the Litani area without encountering obstacles.

This account is supported by the committee overseeing the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, whose sources said the army has addressed 500 sites, including infrastructure, military positions, weapons depots and locations linked to Hezbollah and other armed groups. 

The committee noted that it has not observed any opposition from Hezbollah to the army’s activities.

The Lebanese army also confirmed that it has taken control of most of Hezbollah’s positions south of the Litani region. 

It has carried out 500 operations in coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) targeting sites that had been bombed previously, found to be empty, or that contained military infrastructure, ammunition, rockets, launchers and other weapons. 

Military sources said the missions were documented with photos and videos in the presence of UNIFIL and shared with the ceasefire monitoring committee.

That is the situation south of the Litani River. Meanwhile, in the region's north, Israel has conducted numerous airstrikes and attacks — twice reaching the capital, Beirut. 

The Lebanese army has not acted on Israeli requests submitted to the ceasefire monitoring committee, citing differing views on how to address the presence of weapons north of the Litani River.

Hezbollah maintains that its weapons and military capabilities fall under the national defense strategy — or what the presidency refers to as the national security strategy — which advocates for exclusive control of arms and addressing the issue through dialogue with the group rather than through force. 

At the same time, the strategy emphasizes the priority of Israel’s withdrawal from the five occupied points in the south, along with the 13 remaining disputed points along the border.