On the outskirts of Yaroun, a recently fortified military base looks towards Israel and the border wall known officially as the Blue Line.
But it is not one of the Israeli military encampments scattered around south Lebanon in continued defiance of the ceasefire deal that in theory brought the most recent war between Hezbollah and Israel to an end in November 2024.
Instead, it belongs to the Lebanese Armed Forces and is used by some of the 10,000 soldiers now stationed in south Lebanon. Supported by UN peacekeepers, the LAF continues to expand its presence south of the Litani River as part of the truce terms and to ensure that all weapons in the area – whether belonging to Hezbollah or other armed groups – are turned over to the state.
“We operate with the LAF by day and by night,” says Commandant Conor Hurley, commander of A Company in the Irish Defence Forces' contingent in Unifil, the UN's peacekeeping force in south Lebanon.
“We've noticed an increase in our operations with LAF,” added Comdt Hurley. “This is as the LAF increases their operational capacity in our area, and we've also noticed their positions have been reinforced with increased force protection.”
Unifil peacekeepers from Ireland and Italy took The National across their area of operations in south-western Lebanon, including along the Blue Line, the first media tour since phase one of the government's plan to disarm Hezbollah and other non-state armed factions was completed last month.
Expanding LAF presence
For the first time in decades, the LAF says it has full operational control of south Lebanon – apart from the Israeli bases – as Beirut tries to avert another full-scale war.
But while the completion of phase one of the disarmament plan has brought optimism, a grim reality persists. Daily Israeli attacks, sometimes on Hezbollah members but often not, are a reminder of how precarious the situation is.
Peacekeepers have been harassed, Lebanese soldiers killed and more than 100 civilian lives taken by Israeli fire – whether from above or from raiding soldiers – since the ceasefire came into effect.
Yaroun, situated directly on the Blue Line, may have an expanded army base, but very few residents have returned to the village. The situation is the same in much of south Lebanon.
Like dozens of other villages along the border, Yaroun is almost completely destroyed. Hezbollah posters, commemorating fighters who have died, hang from posts in its centre, hinting at the intensity of the fighting that took place here. The Unifil vehicles wind past piles of rubble that offer little clue as to the type of buildings that once stood there.
No reconstruction has taken place. While the roads have at least been cleared of rubble, few civilian vehicles travel this route.
Joint patrols by the LAF and Unifil are a common sight in south Lebanon, with both forces represented in the multinational committee tasked with monitoring and reporting breaches of the 2024 ceasefire deal.
“We've conducted Control of Unauthorised Weapons and Assets operations with the LAF,” says Comdt Hurley, using the technical term for ensuring weapons remain outside the hands of non-state forces.
“We've found things like explosive remnants of war, or UXOs, and we've cleared them from the area,” he says, highlighting one of the key concerns as people seek to return to the heavily destroyed towns they still call home.
The peacekeepers are keen to stress that Unifil also carries out operations independently of the army, but always in co-ordination with them.
Forward base UNP 6-52
Farther down the road, south-east of the town of Maroun Al Ras, is UNP 6-52, a Unifil forward base manned by Irish peacekeepers.
Between the base and the Blue Line a few hundred metres away is a minefield laid by the Israeli military that is now being cleared by Chinese military engineers who are also part of Unifil.
In the autumn of 2024, as war raged across Lebanon, Israeli military vehicles took up position next to UNP 6-52 in a move condemned by Unifil. When The National visited earlier this month, that space was taken over by tents housing the Chinese engineers.
As the five-tonne armoured jeeps carrying the Irish peacekeepers trundle through the heavy gates and pull into UNP 6-52, the only thing impeding their way is one of the base's beloved adopted dogs, who briefly threatens to run under one of the vehicles.
“I would say the LAF have increased their presence throughout our area of operation since we've arrived here,” says Lt John Timmins, the post commander.
“We've noticed they've established more checkpoints,” he says, pointing to a nearby position that was not held by the LAF when the Irish soldiers arrived in November.
“We've seen more [LAF] patrols,” says Lt Timmins. “We're working in close conjunction with them as they take over the mantle of what the Unifil troops are doing here. Their involvement is constantly increasing around our area of operations, from what I've seen.”
A sentry is always posted in the base's watchtower, observing the Blue Line for possible breaches on either side. The base is so close to the UN-demarcated border that vehicles could be seen and heard driving through the towns of Avivim and Yir'on on the other side.
But Lt Timmins also points out Israel's Iron Dome air-defence batteries positioned on Mount Meron, about 10 kilometres away, as well as its military positions on both sides of the Blue Line.
A parallel reality exists in south Lebanon, where much has changed but much has not since the ceasefire. Hezbollah may no longer have the armed capabilities it once had here, but the Israeli surveillance and weapons are still present.
Israel claims Hezbollah is rearming south of the Litani – which Unifil and the LAF reject – and uses this to justify its continued attacks and military presence.
Uncertain future
What happens next is impossible to say. The army chief recently presented the second phase of its disarmament plan to the government, covering the area south of the Awali River. Hezbollah, diminished by the recent war but not destroyed, accepted handing over its weapons south of the Litani but rejects any discussion on doing so elsewhere in the country.
Meanwhile, almost no reconstruction has taken place in the frontline Lebanese villages, for security, financial or other reasons. Some residents have returned, in part because of the improved security situation, but they live under the constant threat of Israel's attacks from above or its soldiers entering the villages.
This was made all too clear as The National was leaving UNP 6-52, when a large Israeli drone boomed overhead in yet another Israeli violation of the ceasefire.
Unifil's mandate is set to expire at the end of this year, with the last of the peacekeepers scheduled to leave by the end of 2027, but for now the mission for the Irish troops remains unchanged.
Few, if any, Unifil contributing countries have as storied a connection with south Lebanon as Ireland, whose troops have been part of the force since it was created in 1978. So much so that there are said to be Lebanese in the south who speak English with an Irish accent, even though they have never visited Ireland.
“I feel confident in all the training we've been afforded by the Irish Defence Forces before our deployment and the continued training we've received since we've arrived here,” said Lt Timmins.
“We are very well prepared for the environment you're coming into, you're well aware of the situation. I feel like we perform an important task here.”
