Israel’s Forces Conducting “Offensive Action” in Southern Lebanon

Israeli forces are currently engaged in “offensive action” across southern Lebanon, according to Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. The minister did not specify whether ground troops had crossed the border, but he stated that “many forces are deployed on the border and IDF (army) forces are carrying out offensive action currently throughout southern Lebanon.”

Gallant also claimed that “half of Hezbollah’s commanders in southern Lebanon have been eliminated” in months of violence, with the other half in hiding and abandoning the field to IDF operations. The Israeli army reported striking 40 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, including storage facilities and weaponry.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency confirmed that Israel had carried out more than 13 strikes near Aita al-Shaab and surrounding villages. This escalation comes after Hezbollah fired a fresh barrage of rockets across the border in response to a strike blamed on Israel that killed two civilians.

The cross-border exchanges of fire between the Israeli army and Iran-backed Hezbollah have intensified since Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, which triggered war in Gaza. The violence has resulted in at least 380 deaths in Lebanon, mostly Hezbollah fighters and 72 civilians. On the Israeli side, 11 soldiers and eight civilians have been killed.

The situation remains tense as both sides continue to exchange fire, with no immediate resolution in sight.