The American deadline to Lebanon's government – requiring Hezbollah's full disarmament by year's end – expires Wednesday night, with Israel's security establishment now waiting for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's final go-ahead after his meeting this week with US President Donald Trump.
Fresh IDF figures show Hezbollah has breached the ceasefire 2,024 times, while the Lebanese Armed Forces took enforcement action in just 593 instances. Israel filed 863 violation complaints with Lebanon's military, which claimed to address 593 of them. The IDF moved to stop roughly 90 breaches, leaving 145 targets classified as "open" strikes that Lebanon's army never enforced.
Defense sources indicated Wednesday that Lebanese officials are falsely portraying progress in neutralizing Hezbollah. Beirut maintains that 90% to 95% of territory below the Litani (river in southern Lebanon) has been cleared of the terrorist group, but Israeli intelligence paints a starkly different picture. Lebanon's army won't even enter private property and villages throughout the south – proof that Hezbollah's presence remains extensive, Israeli officials note, adding that intelligence confirms the organization is actively working to restore its capabilities south of the Litani. For all Beirut's optimistic rhetoric, Lebanon's military remains too feeble and insufficiently committed to truly dismantle Hezbollah. (Read More)
