FACTBOX – Litani River at the heart of conflict between Israel, Hezbollah

By Yakoota al-Ahmad and Wassim Saifeddine

BEIRUT (AA) – The Litani River in southern Lebanon has emerged as the center of the current conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.

This weekend, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz threatened that Tel Aviv would take action against Hezbollah if the international community failed to push the Lebanese group beyond the Litani River.

The following day, Israel launched waves of deadly airstrikes across Lebanon, killing around 560 people and injuring over 1,800 others, in one of Lebanon’s deadliest days since the country’s civil war (1975-1990).

The Litani River was mentioned in UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended Israel’s war on Lebanon in 2006.

Adopted on Aug. 11, 2006, the resolution calls for a complete cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel and the establishment of a demilitarized zone between the Blue Line (the boundary between Lebanon and Israel) and the Litani River, allowing only the Lebanese army and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to possess weapons and military equipment in the area.

Anadolu sheds light on the significance of the Litani River to both Hezbollah and Israel amid their current conflict.

- Borders

The Blue Line, drawn by the United Nations after Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in May 2000, serves as the boundary between the two sides. The Litani River, Lebanon's most significant river, flows into the Mediterranean Sea approximately 70 kilometers (43.4 miles) south of Beirut.

The maximum distance between the Blue Line and the river is 28 kilometers (17.3 miles) in the central sector, while the minimum is 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) in the far eastern sector.

The border between Lebanon and Israel stretches about 76 kilometers (47.2 miles) from the Shebaa Farms in the east to Ras Naqoura in the west, with approximately 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) of coastline south of the Litani.

- Geography and demographics

The area south of the Litani covers about 850 square kilometers and is home to approximately 200,000 residents, 75% of whom are Shia Muslims, with the remaining 25% comprising Sunni Muslims, Druze, and Christians.

This region is represented in Lebanon’s 128-seat parliament by nine Shia deputies and three lawmakers from minority groups. UNIFIL has operated in southern Lebanon for 28 years under UN Resolution 425.

- Lebanon's water lifeline

The Litani River, flowing from east to west, is 170 kilometers (105.6 miles) long and serves as Lebanon's primary water source. It is a lifeline for agricultural development plans for southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.

The region relies on the river to irrigate 54,000 hectares of land and supplies water to 264 towns and villages, home to about 794,000 people, roughly one-fifth of Lebanon's population.

Resolution 1701 mandates that the Lebanese government and UNIFIL deploy their forces in the area south of the Litani, while also calling for Israel to withdraw all its troops beyond the Blue Line.

- Israel's stance on the Litani

Israel insists on Hezbollah's withdrawal beyond the Litani River, proposing that the Lebanese army and UNIFIL patrol the area between the border and south of the river.

Israel claims this is necessary to prevent Hezbollah from threatening its northern settlements and to demilitarize the region, ensuring that only the Lebanese army and UNIFIL maintain authority there, as outlined in Resolution 1701.

In response to Israel's intensified attacks in Lebanon since Monday morning, sirens continued to sound in Israeli settlements near the Lebanese border after Hezbollah launched numerous rockets targeting military sites and settlements, including the city of Haifa.

- Hezbollah's position

Observers note that the demographic makeup south of the Litani, where 75% of the population are Shias, partially explains Hezbollah's insistence on remaining in the area and its refusal to withdraw beyond the Litani.

They suggest that the group’s possession of long-range weapons indicates that the insistence on the "Litani dilemma" may not be as crucial as it appears, but rather serves as a pretext for Israel to push Hezbollah away from the border and further into the Lebanese territory.

Katz's comments about an Israeli action against Hezbollah came after the Lebanese group said that it had targeted military sites in Haifa with Fadi 1 and 2 missiles for the first time since cross-border clashes with Israel began about a year ago.

Hezbollah's rocket attacks reportedly caused injuries and damage in northern Israel, according to Israeli media. In contrast, the Israeli military conducted deadly airstrikes on various locations in southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as the southern suburb of Beirut.

- Escalation of violence

At least 558 people have been killed, including 95 women and 50 children, and 1,835 others injured in the Israeli attacks in Lebanon since Monday morning, according to Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad.

"The majority of the victims in the Israeli attacks since Monday morning are defenseless civilians in their homes. This refutes the enemy's allegations of targeting fighters," the minister stressed.

Last Friday, an Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburb killed at least 55 people, including children and women, and injured 68 others, according to figures released by the Lebanese Health Ministry. Prominent Hezbollah leader Ibrahim Aqil was among those killed in the attack.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza, which has killed over 41,400 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by Hamas last Oct. 7.

The international community has warned against the Israeli strikes on Lebanon, as they raise the specter of spreading the Gaza conflict regionally.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala