Israeli Officials Tell U.S. Lebanese Army Is Failing to Dismantle Hezbollah Infrastructure in South

Israel has informed the United States through security channels that a pilot program in southern Lebanon—launched under a memorandum of understanding between Beirut and Jerusalem—has failed, according to a report Thursday by Walla.

Israeli officials provided detailed intelligence on the Lebanese Army’s operations, expressing unequivocal dissatisfaction with its efforts against Hezbollah terror infrastructure and operatives in the region. Security sources stated that the army is not destroying infrastructure at coordinates supplied by the IDF, yet continues to request additional coordinates without acting on them.

The IDF has sharply criticized the Lebanese Army’s performance, asserting it is not operating effectively against Hezbollah positions in the south. Assessments indicate that Iran, previously a primary backer of the group, is currently preoccupied with its own survival and is not rushing to bolster Hezbollah.

Senior IDF officials assess that Lebanese Army Chief of Staff Rudolf Haykal continues to coordinate with Hezbollah, avoids confrontation with the organization’s commanders in the south, and is ineffective in conducting searches, locating terror infrastructure, or seizing weapons.

“There is no real friction between the Lebanese Army and Hezbollah,” a senior security official said. “Hezbollah would not want anyone to collect its weapons or destroy its infrastructure.”

“The Lebanese Army chief of staff is not going above and beyond. There is no real enforcement; the army is more focused on coordination,” the official added. “It is clear that Israel is not satisfied, and therefore it is not rushing to agree on additional pilot areas.”

The official further described an incident where Lebanese troops entered an underground shaft a few meters before turning back. “They did not dare to go inside. We assess that they will not deal with anything. Despite this, they insist on receiving more coordinates.”

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