Increased Israeli targeting operations both south and north of Lebanon’s Litani River have significantly restricted the movements of Hezbollah fighters, according to local sources familiar with the situation in southern Lebanon.

In recent months, members of Hezbollah, including active combatants, were reportedly instructed by party leadership to avoid entering the entire southern region, including their own hometowns on both sides of the Litani, even for personal or family reasons, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper. The directive, aimed at preventing Israeli tracking and targeting, has been in place for several months and calls for reducing movement “to the absolute minimum,” the sources said.

"Individuals known to be affiliated with the party haven’t visited their homes in the South for months," one source told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The increased Israeli pressure comes amid a fragile ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States. The deal requires Hezbollah to withdraw from areas south of the Litani River — a buffer zone stretching approximately 30 kilometers from the Israeli border — and to dismantle its military infrastructure in that zone. In return, the Lebanese Army and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) are tasked with reinforcing their presence to maintain stability.

The agreement also stipulates that Israel must withdraw from territories it advanced into during the conflict. However, Israel continues to maintain a presence on five key strategic hilltops in southern Lebanon.