While Hezbollah's influence in Lebanon has been significantly weakened, short of a new regional dynamic Israel will have no choice but to maintain its truce enforcement operations there, observers tell JNS.
A recently reported intelligence breach by Lebanese Armed Forces’ head of military intelligence for Southern Lebanon has intensified concerns over Hezbollah’s infiltration of Lebanon’s security structures.
According to a Feb. 2 report by The London Times, Suhil Bahij Gharb provided Hezbollah with classified data from a security control room operated jointly by the United States, France, and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). This unauthorized disclosure reportedly enabled Hezbollah to receive advance warnings about Israeli military operations, allowing the terrorist organization to conceal weapons and evade detection.
On Jan. 26, the day Israel was originally scheduled to pull its military forces out of southern Lebanon, marking a 60-day test period for the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire, Jerusalem announced that it would keep some of its troops in the country until Feb. 18.