Not neutral but not fighting: Lebanon’s army walks tightrope on Israeli invasion

A few days ago, Lebanon’s army commander, General Joseph Aoun, visited Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to discuss how the military will respond to Israel's invasion of southern Lebanon.

There, they reaffirmed the Lebanese political authorities’ long-standing position: Lebanon’s military must not be involved in Israel’s war and battles with Hezbollah.

However, sources close to the military establishment said that this position does not mean that the army will retreat from its positions in the south and move north of the Litani River, some 30km from the Israeli border. 

As Israel stepped up its ferocious bombing campaign last week ahead of the ground invasion, Aoun decided to withdraw some of his troops from observation stations along the Blue Line, the quasi-border that separates Lebanon from Israel, where they were exposed to Israel’s line of fire, the sources said.

Yet, the Lebanese army, despite its limited capabilities, will remain in south Lebanon and will respond to Israeli fire on its positions, as it has over the past couple of days.

Read more: Not neutral but not fighting: Lebanon’s army walks tightrope on Israeli invasion