Hezbollah Uses the Ceasefire to Reorganize as IDF Awaits Political Decisions
Israeli security officials say Hezbollah is using the ceasefire in Lebanon to regroup, gather intelligence and reposition forces, while IDF units deep in southern Lebanon have shifted to a defensive posture pending decisions from Israel’s political leadership. The move comes amid US pressure that helped bring about the truce, and army sources said the troops are waiting for guidance on how long and where they should remain deployed.
Today the IDF dropped leaflets over the village of Al-Mansouri in southern Lebanon warning residents to stay away. Officials said this was not a new evacuation order, but an effort to prevent friction between returning civilians and Israeli troops still operating in the area. The army is also using deception and mobile positioning to avoid being too static and to make it harder for Hezbollah to locate its forces and methods.
Earlier today, the Air Force, directed by Egoz special forces, killed seven Hezbollah operatives who were moving weapons near the security zone where the IDF is operating in southern Lebanon. The militants were transferring arms into a building in the Al-Manzleh area, which had been used as a fighting position and observation post against Israeli troops. According to the IDF, they were preparing to attack the forces.
On the ground, the army says it has recently uncovered additional terror infrastructure. Division 36, which seized the Beaufort Ridge, is now in several positions on the Ali Taher ridge, where it found a major underground network built over more than a decade with Iranian funding and guidance. Hezbollah fighters trapped there are trying to get out, and others have unsuccessfully tried to move around the tunnel shafts. The division has killed more than 10 militants in the past day. Any further action against the underground site must be approved by the political echelon, and it may eventually be handed to the Lebanese army under a pilot program overseen by the United States.
