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

Israel has informed the United States that a pilot program in southern Lebanon, initiated after a memorandum of understanding with Beirut, has failed to curb Hezbollah's activities. Israeli security officials expressed dissatisfaction with the Lebanese Army's performance, stating, "The Lebanese Army is not destroying terror infrastructure based on the coordinates provided to it by the IDF." They allege the Lebanese Army continues to cooperate with Hezbollah and is ineffective in locating and dismantling terror infrastructure and weapons. A senior security official noted, "There is no real friction between the Lebanese Army and Hezbollah." Consequently, Israel is reluctant to agree to additional pilot areas.