Lebanese army failing to curb Hezbollah activity in south, Israeli officials tell US

Israel has informed the United States through secure channels that a pilot program in southern Lebanon, launched after a memorandum of understanding between Beirut and Jerusalem, has not yielded the desired results, Walla reported on Thursday. The IDF has expressed strong dissatisfaction with the Lebanese Army's efforts against Hezbollah's terror infrastructure and operatives in the region.

According to security sources, "The Lebanese Army is not destroying terror infrastructure based on the coordinates provided to it by the IDF, while simultaneously requesting more coordinates, even though it is not taking any action." The Lebanese army continues to collaborate with Hezbollah, despite the IDF's criticisms of its performance.

Senior IDF officials claim that Lebanese Army Chief of Staff Rudolf Haykal maintains cooperation with Hezbollah, is fearful of confrontation with the organization's commanders in southern Lebanon, and is ineffective in conducting searches, identifying terror infrastructure, and locating weapons. There is no real tension between the Lebanese Army and Hezbollah, according to a high-ranking security official.

The Lebanese Army chief of staff is not making a significant effort, and there is a lack of enforcement. The official explained that "Hezbollah would not want anyone to collect its weapons or destroy its infrastructure."

The IDF has not rushed to agree on additional pilot areas due to its dissatisfaction, the official added. They further stated that "The Lebanese Army reached a point, entered the underground opening a few meters, turned around and left. They did not dare to go inside. We assess that they will not deal with anything." Despite this, the Lebanese Army insists on receiving more coordinates.