A top Lebanese Armed Forces intelligence officer was among dozens who have leaked secrets to the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terror group since the start of the ceasefire with Israel on Nov. 27, The London Times reported on Sunday night, citing intelligence sources and documents.
Suhil Bahij Gharb, the LAF’s chief of military intelligence for Southern Lebanon, handed Hezbollah sensitive information from inside a command and control center run by the United States, France and the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, a source told the British daily.
Gharb was said to have been allowed to enter the international situation room at the insistence of the senior Hezbollah commander Wafiq Safa, who heads the terror organization’s Liaison and Coordination Unit and reportedly survived an Israeli assassination attempt on Oct. 10, 2024.
According to an international intelligence report seen by The Times, Gharb is one of dozens of officers in Beirut’s official military who have leaked intelligence to Hezbollah, giving them advance warning of Israeli counter-terrorism raids, allowing them to move weapons and regroup.
The intelligence document cited by The Times states: “Hezbollah use[s] internal, sensitive information regarding the Lebanese army to hide its actions from the international entities in charge of regional security.” It goes on to state that the leaks raise concerns regarding the LAF’s ability to take control of Southern Lebanon, “where Hezbollah has for years been the dominant political and military force.”
Regional security sources told the daily that while the LAF was “doing its part” and had confiscated some arms in areas from which the Israel Defense Forces had withdrawn, leaks by Gharb and others enable Hezbollah to maintain its presence near the Jewish state’s border.
Under the terms of the Nov. 26 agreement with Beirut, the Israeli army was to gradually withdraw from the country by Jan. 26 as the LAF and United Nations peacekeepers took responsibility for ensuring that Hezbollah terrorists remained disarmed south of the Litani River.
The agreement was extended until Feb. 18 on Monday following indirect talks between Israel and Lebanon mediated by the U.S. government.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office noted in a statement issued on Friday that the IDF’s withdrawal was “conditional on the Lebanese Army deploying in Southern Lebanon and fully and effectively enforcing the agreement, while Hezbollah withdraws beyond the Litani.”
“Since the ceasefire agreement has not yet been fully enforced by the State of Lebanon, the phased withdrawal process will continue, in full coordination with the United States,” the statement continued.
Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati confirmed that Beirut had agreed to the extension, saying the decision came following talks with consultations with President Joseph Aoun and Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a powerful Hezbollah ally. Mikati claimed in a statement that the United States had heeded his request to help negotiate the release of Hezbollah terrorists detained by Israel since Oct. 7, 2023.
On Sunday, the LAF joined hundreds of Lebanese, including supporters of Hezbollah, attempting to return to the south in what the IDF described as a provocation orchestrated by the terrorist group.
The Lebanese army in a statement stressed it was “standing with citizens in the face of the Israeli enemy, which continues to refuse to abide by the ceasefire agreement and withdraw from Lebanese territory.”
