Israeli Officials Say Lebanese Army Coordinates South Lebanon Activity with Hezbollah to Avoid Clashes

Israeli security sources estimate that Lebanese Army Chief General Rudolf Heikal is coordinating his operations in southern Lebanon with Hezbollah to prevent direct confrontations. This assessment comes amid a U.S.-pressured pilot initiative under which the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) withdrew from two key areas south and north of the Blue Line in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military and political leadership expect the Lebanese Army to conduct thorough sweeps of the vacated zones, identifying and destroying Hezbollah weapons caches and terror infrastructure.

However, according to Israeli military sources, the Lebanese Army has so far found only a limited number of weapons and terror sites, far below the IDF's expectations in both quantity and geographic scope. Israeli officials claim that General Heikal, appointed in March 2025 with high hopes, is personally involved in the process but is not preventing Hezbollah from maintaining its presence. The situation is compared to the aftermath of Israel's Operation Northern Shield, where the Lebanese Army entered areas vacated by Israel but reportedly misled the IDF, the U.S., and the Lebanese government about the extent of its counterterrorism actions.

Israeli sources close to the political-security axis suggest the Lebanese Army is walking a fine line, fearing a military clash with Hezbollah that could trigger a civil war in Lebanon. Consequently, expectations for the Lebanese Army's effectiveness remain low. The IDF notes that Lebanese forces are mainly conducting patrols, repositioning troops, and performing limited inspections of Hezbollah sites rather than comprehensive sweeps of known weapons caches and civilian buildings across the region.

The Israeli government is reportedly considering whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should express these concerns to U.S. President Joe Biden, who is pushing to accelerate the Lebanese pilot program and has hinted at similar initiatives in Syria and the Gaza Strip. The overall goal remains to stabilize the border area by reducing Hezbollah's military infrastructure through Lebanese Army enforcement, but current developments suggest significant challenges ahead.