From hidden arsenals to reopened roads: Lebanese army engineers navigate south Lebanon’s valleys

Report by Lara El Hachem, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

Everything remains theoretical until it is seen firsthand. LBCI’s camera accompanied the Lebanese army during operations in a valley in the Tyre district, located along a riverbed.

There, the army’s Engineering Regiment worked for weeks without coordinates or maps. Using field expertise and experience, troops surveyed the terrain and cleared weapons and ammunition as part of the plan to restrict weapons possession south of the Litani River.

Dozens of similar valleys were awaiting the Engineering Regiment before fighting resumed on March 2.

The mission may sound simple in description, but carrying it out required moving meter by meter through rocks and dense vegetation in search of hidden weapons caches, unidentified weapons, and underground infrastructure and ammunition.

The process begins with surveying, followed by repeated checks and confirmation. Only then does excavation begin, as any mistake could be fatal.

Under difficult geographical conditions and amid the threat of aircraft and drones, the Engineering Regiment carried out its mission as part of the weapons restriction plan.

The unit seized thousands of weapons and rounds of ammunition. Some were destroyed where they were found, while others were transferred to army-designated locations. Some were confiscated for the Lebanese army.

Soldiers climbed mountains and followed trails as they searched for hidden sites. What began in these valleys ended with the seizure of thousands of weapons, ammunition, shells, grenades and rockets, adding to those already seized by the army since the 2024 ceasefire.

All of them were found in locations similar to these.

The operation was not merely a military mission. The Engineering Regiment was not only searching for weapons, but also removing the remnants of war both underground and above ground, as the latest conflict disrupted people’s lives and isolated some areas of southern Lebanon.

In a single step, one can move from south of the Litani River to the north. This is why Israel sought to cut these links in an effort to disrupt Hezbollah’s supply routes, according to its claims. However, the Lebanese army insisted on ensuring the safe movement of residents from these villages and created alternative routes.

Near the damaged Tayr Felsay bridge, the Engineering Regiment opened a dirt road that had been flooded and built a crossing allowing residents to move between the two banks of the river. The mission was purely humanitarian.

From among the rocks and valleys came thousands of weapons, and from the rubble, roads returned to residents. The mission continues despite the high cost in casualties, injuries, exhaustion and criticism, as the Lebanese army’s priority remains Lebanon and the Lebanese people.