Israel Begins Pilot Transfer of South Lebanon Areas to Lebanese Army Amid Hezbollah Tensions

The United States announced on Monday the start of a pilot program in southern Lebanon, transferring control of certain areas from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to the Lebanese Army. This marks a new and complex phase in the northern conflict. The pilot involves villages currently under IDF observation and fire control but without permanent troop deployment, unlike the Yellow Line zone. The selected villages, including Sarifa and Farran outside the Yellow Line and Zohar al-Gharbiya within it, were chosen because most infrastructure has been addressed, allowing the Lebanese Army to prove its ability to keep Hezbollah out.

The IDF maintains control over observation and fire in these areas, and the transfer does not require Israeli troop withdrawal. The security establishment expects that if the Lebanese Army successfully prevents militant activity, further territorial handovers will follow. Since the ceasefire, IDF’s 36th Division has prepared for both advancing to capture more territory and transferring control to Lebanese forces. The handover will be coordinated carefully, with clear IDF demands for Lebanese Army action against terrorism, including preventing Hezbollah’s rearmament and reconstruction of terror infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah is exploiting the ceasefire to strengthen itself, moving weapons and supplies covertly and using drones for intelligence gathering. In response, the IDF has reinforced forces along the Yellow Line and increased operational aggression, including engineering efforts to improve mobility and fortifications against attacks.

Two critical unresolved issues remain. First, about 40 Hezbollah militants are trapped in the Ali Taher ridge near Nabatiyeh, an area largely controlled by the IDF. This standoff causes significant tension within Hezbollah, with the IDF offering militants only surrender or death. Second, the fate of underground terror infrastructure discovered in the ridge is undecided, with uncertainty whether it will be handed over intact to the Lebanese Army or destroyed by the IDF.

This pilot phase is part of a broader campaign in southern Lebanon that began in late February. Currently, IDF’s 36th and 91st Divisions hold the captured territory firmly, with heavy equipment deployed and ongoing efforts to reshape the area during the ceasefire period.