I'm John Batchel with my colleague and friend Bill Rajo, the Foundation for the Defense of Democracy,

keeps the Long War Journal. One of his correspondents is Ahmed Shahrawi, a research analyst for the

Foundation for the Defense of Democracy. Akhmad U report, the IDF is withdrawn from almost all areas

occupied in South Lebanon during the

conflict with Hezbollah, per the terms of the ceasefire agreement, handed them over to the Lebanese

armed forces. The Lebanese armed forces last time I checked were pretty much an extension or a

facilitator or a codependent of Hezbollah. Has that changed? I don't know about facilitator, but I think they've been incompetent in terms of enforcing the ceasefire.

And this has been the case since 2006 since the adoption of the 1701 Security Council Resolution,

which called for the disarming of Hezbollah, the removal of its military infrastructure

in southern Lebanon or south of the Latania River. And the Lebanese army hasn't been doing

their job in terms of that. They have not been enforcing the ceasefire. There's elements within the

army itself who are loyal to Hezbollah, provide intelligence to Hezbollah. And from November 27th, which was the date of the ceasefire, the first day of the ceasefire, until February 18th,

which was when the ceasefire ended or when the Israeli withdrawal happened, we have seen limited examples or proof of the Lebanese government and the

Lebanese army and enforcing the ceasefire or disarming Hezbollah limiting its

presence in southern Lebanon so we're just saying a continuation of

their incompetence and unwillingness to confront Hasbullah.

Bill, you have a question.

Has the Lebanese armed forces taken any meaningful action against Hezbollah since the ceasefire began?

And what would it happen to the Lebanese armed forces if it actually did move against Hezbollah?

So, I mean, they've been, they've taken symbolic actions against Hezbollah, as in they would, let's say, they would claim that they confiscated weapons in an area that is Shia majority in southern Lebanon

without saying this is Hezbollah or not.

And again, they don't specify that, I mean, we haven't seen examples of them raiding or doing house-to-house searches in southern Lebanon to confiscate weapons.

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