ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – A source close to the militant organization Hezbollah reported on Saturday that the group has been displaced by the Lebanese military south of the Litani River.

The source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told AFP that "out of 265 Hezbollah military positions identified south of the Litani, the movement has ceded about 190 to the army."

A ceasefire signed in November sought to bring an end to the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel that began when the Shia militants launched a campaign against their Israeli foe in the wake of the Hamas attacks on the country in October 2023.

In October 2024, Israel launched an invasion of southern Lebanon, seeking to displace Hezbollah positions near its northern border and dismantle its infrastructure.

One of the conditions of the November ceasefire was that Hezbollah withdraw its forces to the north of the Litani River, located 30km from the border with Israel, with the Lebanese Armed Forces being invited into the buffer zone.

However, the ceasefire has seen numerous violations, with sporadic gunfights and airstrikes occurring in the country’s south.

Beirut’s military has struggled to compete with the dominance of Hezbollah in the country’s south, with Lebanon’s president Joseph Aoun condemning “the bearing of weapons outside state authority.”

“Lebanon can only be protected by the state, the army, and the security forces," he added.

More than 3,000 people were killed in over a year of fighting between Hezbollah and Israeli forces.