Hezbollah still present inside southern Lebanon pilot zones, despite Lebanese Army efforts - report

Jerusalem Post/Israel News/Defense NewsAccording to KAN, Hezbollah terror operatives have been located in the areas of Froun, Srifa, and Zawtar al-Gharbiyah, south of Nabatiya, flying under the radar by posing as civilians.Follow us on GoogleAn army vehicle patrols around the town on September 30, 2026 in Zawtar Al-Gharbiyah, Lebanon.(photo credit: Adri Salido/Getty Images)OCTOBER 8, 2026 08:29Hezbollah terror operatives are maintaining a presence in several areas within the pilot zones in southern Lebanon, KAN News reported on Wednesday.According to KAN, Hezbollah members have been located in the areas of Froun, Srifa, and Zawtar al-Gharbiyah, flying under the radar by posing as civilians.The three aforementioned areas are located south of Nabatiya.KAN also reported that the Hezbollah forces in the area were gathering intelligence and performing damage control with local officials."The Lebanese state is not doing what it is supposed to do; if wherever Israel leaves, Hezbollah enters," a Lebanese source told KAN, "and this only shows how critical the issue of disarming Hezbollah is even before the Israeli withdrawal."Hezbollah terrorists march in the funeral of senior terrorist Haytham Ali Tabatabai, others killed in IDF airstrike, in Beirut, November 24, 2025; illustrative. (credit: REUTERS/MOHAMED AZAKIR)Israeli officials have repeatedly stated that the pilot program in southern Lebanon, in which Israeli troops would withdraw in order to allow the Lebanese Armed Forces to take over operations against Hezbollah, had failed.Israeli officials accuse Lebanese Armed Forces of not acting against HezbollahIn August, Walla cited security officials as saying, "The LAF is not destroying terror infrastructure based on the coordinates provided to it by the IDF, while at the same time requesting more coordinates, even though it is not doing anything about it."The IDF has criticized the LAF’s performance, claiming that it is not acting effectively against Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon.According to assessments by senior IDF officials, LAF chief Rodolphe Haykal continues to cooperate with Hezbollah, fears confrontation with commanders of the Shi’ite organization in southern Lebanon, and is ineffective in carrying out searches, locating terror infrastructure, and finding weapons.Amir Bohbot contributed to this report.Follow us on Google