As Hezbollah and Israel battle on the border, Lebanon’s army watches from the sidelines

Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — Since Israel launched its ground invasion of Lebanon, Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants have clashed along the border while the Lebanese army has largely stood on the sidelines. It’s not the first time the national army has found itself watching war at home from the discomfiting position of bystander. As Israeli troops made their first forays across the border and Hezbollah responded with rocket fire, Lebanese soldiers withdrew from observation posts along the frontier and repositioned about 5 kilometers. Lebanon’s army is militarily overshadowed by Hezbollah. It has about 80,000 troops, with around 5,000 of them deployed in the south.