Israeli military expanded its ground operations in southern Lebanon beyond a demarcation line that Israel established several kilometers inside Lebanese territory following the April 16 ceasefire with Hezbollah, two sources said on Tuesday.
The sources did not provide further details on the extent of the advance beyond the so-called ‘Yellow Line’.
The line, separate from the UN-demarcated ‘Blue Line’ that marks the border between Lebanon and Israel after Israel’s withdrawal in 2000, is part of a proposed buffer zone stretching 5 km to 10 km in southern Lebanon, where Israeli troops continue to operate in dozens of largely abandoned villages.
An Israeli military official said that the military was ‘operating in a targeted manner beyond the Forward Defense Line to remove direct threats to the citizens of the State of Israel’ and that Israeli soldiers act ‘in accordance with the directives of the political echelon’.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel would step up attacks against Hezbollah, while a US official said the Iran-backed group had ignored warnings to stop attacks that risked harming negotiations to end the US and Israeli war against Iran.
This Tuesday, Netanyahu said the military was operating with “large forces on the ground” in southern Lebanon and taking control of “strategic areas,” according to a statement.
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Hezbollah, in turn, also said on Tuesday that it was targeting Israeli forces advancing towards the city of Zawtar al-Sharqiya, in southern Lebanon, with explosive drones, rockets and artillery, while the Israeli Army attacked several cities in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley and issued new withdrawal warnings.
Lebanon’s Ministry of Health claims that the cumulative toll of the Israeli offensive since March 2 has reached 3,213 dead and 9,737 injured as of May 26, while the Israeli military claims that Hezbollah has launched explosive drones against Israeli troops and cities in northern Israel, killing at least 11 soldiers since the ceasefire.
The World Health Organization said at least 608 people in Lebanon have been killed in Israeli attacks since the truce.
Hezbollah has not released its own casualty figures.
