Lebanon tightens security in one of Middle East’s most dangerous regions

The Lebanese army has stepped up its operations along the border with Israel, in the region that was a major battleground during the 14-month war between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group, the Associated Press writes.

Areas south of the Litani River and north of the Israeli border, once firmly under Hezbollah control, were previously off-limits to both the Lebanese army and U.N. peacekeepers. Since the ceasefire ended the Israel-Hezbollah war a year ago, the army has significantly increased its presence in the area, deploying nearly 10,000 troops, closing 11 smuggling routes along the Litani River, and addressing large quantities of unexploded ordnance, according to senior army officers.

On November 28, the army escorted dozens of local and international journalists on a tour of the rugged border region, showcasing areas that were formerly heavily occupied by Hezbollah.

Since the November 2024 ceasefire, Israel has carried out almost daily airstrikes targeting Hezbollah operatives, but 127 civilians have also been killed, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights. Hezbollah, in contrast, has only acknowledged responsibility for a single attack on an Israeli military post since last November, maintaining that it no longer has an armed presence south of the Litani River.

The group has also refused to discuss full disarmament across Lebanon until Israel stops its strikes and withdraws from five hilltop positions it captured during the war.

The latest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah began on 8 October 2023, one day after Hamas attacked southern Israel, when Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in solidarity with Hamas. Israel responded with a two-month bombardment of Lebanon that severely weakened Hezbollah, followed by a ground invasion.

In August 2025, the Lebanese government voted in favor of a U.S.-backed plan to disarm Hezbollah, which the group rejected. In recent weeks, Israel has expressed concerns that Hezbollah is rebuilding its capabilities in southern Lebanon.

Brig. Gen. Nicolas Thabet, Lebanese army commander in the sector south of the Litani River, praised the army’s efforts: “The Lebanese army is making tremendous efforts during this critical period in the history of the region.”

During the tour, journalists visited Zibqin Valley, where Hezbollah once maintained rocket launchers, tunnels, and hidden posts. The area is now fully under army control, and Hezbollah has no presence there. A nearly 100-meter tunnel inside a mountain revealed remnants of a medical clinic, ventilation systems, power cables, water tanks, and large stocks of canned food. This valley was also the site of an arms depot explosion in August, which killed six army experts dismantling munitions.

“We will not abandon our goals no matter the difficulties,” Thabet said, adding that “the army is making major sacrifices in one of the most dangerous parts of the Middle East.”

Army officers informed journalists that since the ceasefire, there have been 5,198 Israeli violations, including 657 airstrikes. The war destroyed 13,981 housing units and severely damaged infrastructure in border villages.

The army has either dismantled, detonated, or stored recovered weapons and ordnance, taking operational arms for its own use. Currently, the army maintains 200 posts south of the Litani River, alongside 29 fixed checkpoints, with round-the-clock patrols.

Following the government’s decision to disarm Hezbollah on September 5, the army intensified operations in the region. Since then, troops have discovered 74 tunnels, 175 rocket launchers, and 58 missiles.

Thabet emphasised that the army does not search private homes without a judicial order and only intervenes if illegal activities are observed in real-time.

By Tamilla Hasanova