Report: Hezbollah tightens grip on southern Lebanon
UNIFIL personnel say Lebanese Armed Forces gradually withdrawing from Israel border area, leaving it in hands of Hezbollah
UNIFIL patrols are finding paths blocked and former temporary observation points suddenly out of bounds in what is being interpreted as Hezbollah seeking to flex its muscles on the ground at a time of heightened regional uncertainty and aggressive postures by Israel, the paper reported.
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On Tuesday, the IDF launched a large-scale drill involving a call-up of some 2,000 reservists in northern Israel.
According to the report, UNIFIL officers are privately expressing frustration at the often humiliating confrontations with Hezbollah personnel where the peacekeepers feel compelled to back down.
One officer noted that UN Security Council Resolution 1701 calls on the Lebanese Army to take control of the southern border district, with UNIFIL playing a support role.
“The Lebanese Army is nowhere near that right now. In fact, they are further away from that than before,” the officer said.
With units withdrawn in response to deteriorating security situations in Tripoli, Sidon and the north, the Lebanese Army troop strength has dwindled to an estimated 3,000 soldiers in the border district, according to various UNIFIL sources.
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