A Lebanese military source has denied Israeli claims that the Lebanese army is being purged of Hezbollah-affiliated elements. The source told a Lebanese outlet that the army is not subject to the assessment of any foreign party, and said the suggestions are incorrect and worthy of condemnation. The denial follows recent Israeli statements questioning the army's ability to enforce the November 2024 agreement.
A military source in Lebanon on Sunday afternoon publicly rejected Israeli claims that the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) are undergoing a purge of Hezbollah-linked personnel — the army's first direct rebuttal to weeks of Israeli criticism.
The source, quoted by a Lebanese outlet and relayed by The Zioneer's intelligence pipeline, said the LAF "is not subject to the assessment of any party" and dismissed the suggestion as false and deserving of condemnation. The statement was timed within minutes of its circulation and has not been independently verified by Israeli or international media.
Israel Hayom and other Israeli outlets have recently reported that Israeli defense officials view the LAF as unable or unwilling to enforce the November 2024 ceasefire framework, accusing it of cooperating with Hezbollah in concealing weapons. The denial comes as the IDF remains deployed in several points inside southern Lebanon beyond the original withdrawal deadline, and as diplomatic efforts to formalize security arrangements continue. The Zioneer has previously reported Israeli officials' skepticism of the LAF's reliability, including a defense source's assessment that no mechanism short of U.S. or IDF forces can ensure Hezbollah's disarmament.
What remains open: the identity and precise rank of the Lebanese military source, and whether the denial represents the official position of the LAF command or a more junior figure. No Israeli official has responded to the statement as of late Sunday afternoon.
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