In a statement posted on Telegram, the Israeli military said it had monitored two armed individuals located hundreds of meters from Israeli territory in southern Lebanon before targeting them in an aerial strike.

“A short while ago, IDF surveillance identified two armed individuals moving in a suspicious manner hundreds of meters from Israeli territory, in southern Lebanon,” the military said, adding that the individuals were subsequently “struck and eliminated.

”The incident comes as tensions remain high along the Israel-Lebanon border despite a truce that was extended by Israeli and Lebanese authorities last week.Since the ceasefire took effect on April 17, Israel has continued conducting airstrikes, demolitions and evacuation measures in southern Lebanon, saying its operations target Hezbollah positions and activities.

Hezbollah, backed by Iran, has also continued attacks against Israel.The latest phase of fighting intensified after Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel on March 2, describing the attack as retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in joint U.S.-Israeli strikes.Israel responded with extensive airstrikes and a ground offensive in southern Lebanon.

Israeli forces continue to operate inside a self-declared security zone, referred to by the military as a “yellow line,” extending roughly 10 kilometers inside Lebanese territory along the border.According to Lebanon’s health ministry, Israeli attacks have killed at least 3,089 people since the broader regional conflict began. Israel’s military has reported 22 military fatalities during the fighting.

The current truce was extended by 45 days following a third round of direct talks between Lebanese and Israeli representatives in Washington. Hezbollah has publicly opposed the negotiations.

The strike highlights the fragility of the ceasefire and the continuing risk of escalation along one of the Middle East’s most volatile frontiers.

In a statement posted on Telegram, the Israeli military said it had monitored two armed individuals located hundreds of meters from Israeli territory in southern Lebanon before targeting them in an aerial strike.

“A short while ago, IDF surveillance identified two armed individuals moving in a suspicious manner hundreds of meters from Israeli territory, in southern Lebanon,” the military said, adding that the individuals were subsequently “struck and eliminated.”

The incident comes as tensions remain high along the Israel-Lebanon border despite a truce that was extended by Israeli and Lebanese authorities last week
Since the ceasefire took effect on April 17, Israel has continued conducting airstrikes, demolitions and evacuation measures in southern Lebanon, saying its operations target Hezbollah positions and activities. Hezbollah, backed by Iran, has also continued attacks against Israel.

The latest phase of fighting intensified after Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel on March 2, describing the attack as retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in joint U.S.-Israeli strikes.

Israel responded with extensive airstrikes and a ground offensive in southern Lebanon. Israeli forces continue to operate inside a self-declared security zone, referred to by the military as a “yellow line,” extending roughly 10 kilometers inside Lebanese territory along the border.

According to Lebanon’s health ministry, Israeli attacks have killed at least 3,089 people since the broader regional conflict began. Israel’s military has reported 22 military fatalities during the fighting.

The current truce was extended by 45 days following a third round of direct talks between Lebanese and Israeli representatives in Washington. Hezbollah has publicly opposed the negotiations.

The strike highlights the fragility of the ceasefire and the continuing risk of escalation along one of the Middle East’s most volatile frontiers.

Accounts from residents, analysis of satellite images and observations by AFP journalists indicate that dozens of towns and villages near the Israeli border have suffered severe damage, including the destruction of homes, schools, religious sites, public infrastructure and agricultural land.

Israel launched a military campaign in southern Lebanon after Hezbollah, the Iran-backed armed group, opened a front against Israel on March 2. Israeli forces responded with large-scale airstrikes and a ground offensive in areas where Hezbollah maintains a strong presence.

Although a ceasefire came into force on April 17, residents and Lebanese officials say demolitions, bulldozing operations and strikes have continued across parts of southern Lebanon. Israel has maintained that its actions target Hezbollah infrastructure and operatives and are intended to prevent future attacks on Israeli communities.

Satellite images reviewed by AFP showed extensive destruction in the border village of Yaroun, located less than one kilometer from Israel. Residents said much of the town, including residential neighborhoods and public buildings, has been reduced to rubble.

Images from Bint Jbeil, a major town in southern Lebanon and a longstanding Hezbollah stronghold, also indicated widespread damage. Satellite photographs taken in early April showed relatively limited destruction, while images captured a month later suggested that large sections of the town had been demolished.

Lebanese Environment Minister Tamara Zein has accused Israel of carrying out what she described as “urbicide,” a term used to describe the deliberate destruction of urban areas. Researchers at Lebanon’s government-linked National Council for Scientific Research echoed concerns that destruction accelerated during the ceasefire period.

According to the council, Israeli attacks since 2023 have damaged more than 290,000 housing units across Lebanon, including roughly 61,000 since the latest conflict began. Researchers estimate that around 12,000 units were completely or partially destroyed after the ceasefire took effect.

Lebanon’s Agriculture Ministry said earlier this month that more than 560 square kilometers of farmland had been damaged by Israeli military operations and attacks.

Israeli forces continue to operate inside a self-declared security zone extending approximately 10 kilometers into Lebanese territory. Israeli officials say the measures are necessary to protect border communities from Hezbollah attacks and prevent the group’s military re-establishment near the frontier.

The destruction has complicated efforts by displaced residents to return home. More than one million people have been displaced from southern Lebanon during the conflict, according to Lebanese officials and researchers.

The latest allegations come as Lebanese and Israeli representatives continue direct talks in Washington aimed at preserving a fragile truce and preventing a broader escalation along the border.

The military identified the soldier as Sergeant Major Alexander Glovanyov, 47, who was killed on Sunday in fighting close to the Israel-Lebanon frontier.
His death brings the number of Israeli military personnel killed since the conflict with Hezbollah intensified in early March to 18, according to Israeli military figures. One Israeli civilian contractor has also been killed during the hostilities.

Fighting has continued in southern Lebanon despite a ceasefire agreement signed between Israel and Lebanon on April 17 that was intended to halt cross-border exchanges of fire and reduce the risk of a broader regional escalation.

Hezbollah entered the conflict on March 2 after launching rockets into Israel, saying the attacks were retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in joint U.S.-Israeli strikes, according to statements from the group.

Israel responded with extensive airstrikes and later expanded operations into a ground campaign in southern Lebanon.

Israeli forces are currently operating behind what the military describes as a “yellow line,” an Israeli-declared security zone extending roughly 10 kilometers north of Lebanon’s border.

The latest casualty announcement came as smoke was seen rising from areas in southern Lebanon following reported Israeli airstrikes targeting the village of Choukine, according to AFP images from the region.

The ongoing exchanges have heightened concerns that fighting between Israel and Hezbollah could evolve into a wider regional confrontation involving Iran and allied armed groups across the Middle East.

Diplomatic efforts led by international mediators have so far failed to fully enforce the ceasefire or secure a durable de-escalation along the volatile frontier.

Valery Gerasimov said in remarks released by the defense ministry that Russian forces had taken control of 80 settlements and were pushing toward what he described as Ukraine’s “fortress belt” in the east.

The campaign is focused on the Donbas, where Russian troops are advancing toward a line of heavily defended cities, including Sloviansk, Kramatorsk and Kostiantynivka. Gerasimov said Russian forces were within 7 to 12 kilometres of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk and already engaged in fighting in parts of Kostiantynivka.

Russia is also conducting operations in the northern Sumy region and the northeastern Kharkiv region, aiming to establish what it calls a “security zone” along the border.Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield claims, and Ukraine’s military did not immediately comment.

Pro-Ukrainian mapping suggests a smaller territorial gain by Russian forces this year.Ukrainian commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said earlier this month that Kyiv’s troops had recaptured nearly 50 square kilometres in March, highlighting continued contested advances in what is Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.

According to Russian estimates, Moscow controls about 90% of Donbas and roughly 75% of the Zaporizhzhia region and Kherson region, along with smaller parts of other regions including Mykolaiv region and Dnipropetrovsk region.

Russia also retains control of Crimea, which it annexed in 2014, a move widely rejected internationally.The conflict, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, continues to see incremental territorial shifts, with both sides reporting gains amid heavy fighting.

Defence Minister said ground operations and air strikes had achieved “many gains” but had not fully neutralised Hezbollah’s presence in southern Lebanon. He added that areas between Israel’s declared security zone and the remained uncleared of militants and weapons.
Katz said the remaining objectives could be achieved either through diplomatic channels or renewed military action once the ceasefire expires. Under the terms of the truce, Israel retains the right to act against what it describes as imminent or ongoing threats from Hezbollah.

As the ceasefire came into force at midnight, displaced civilians in southern Lebanon began returning to their homes after weeks of conflict. However, Katz warned that a resumption of fighting would likely force another evacuation of those areas.

Israel has maintained a military presence in parts of southern Lebanon and established a security buffer zone along the border, which it says has been cleared of militant infrastructure and residents. The defence minister said operations would continue to target remaining positions, including structures Israel alleges were used for militant activity.

According to details released by the United States, the ceasefire framework also places responsibility on Lebanon, with international backing, to prevent Hezbollah from launching attacks against Israeli targets.

The developments highlight the fragility of the ceasefire and ongoing tensions along the Israel-Lebanon frontier, where both sides remain on alert despite a temporary halt in fighting.

The Israeli military said it had begun a “wave of strikes” on positions in the capital’s southern districts, including areas such as Tahouitet Al-Ghadir, following evacuation warnings issued to residents earlier in the day.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported multiple strikes across south Beirut, as well as in southern and eastern regions of the country. The health ministry said an attack on the town of Saksakiyeh in the Sidon district killed six people, including three children, and wounded 17 others.

In the Bekaa region, authorities said a strike killed a pregnant woman and injured seven people. Lebanese officials estimate that more than 1,100 people have been killed since the escalation began, with over one million displaced, including around 136,000 sheltering in collective facilities.

Hezbollah said its fighters had engaged Israeli troops “at point-blank range” in the villages of Bayada and Shamaa, near the border, and claimed additional attacks on Israeli targets.

It also said it had fired a surface-to-air missile at an Israeli warplane over Beirut. The claims could not be independently verified.The Israeli military said its forces had uncovered weapons, including anti-tank missiles, in a school in Khiam, a strategic border town that has seen repeated fighting.

Israeli troops are advancing into multiple towns in southern Lebanon as part of efforts to establish a buffer zone extending to the Litani River, aimed at pushing Hezbollah forces away from the frontier and securing northern Israeli communities.

Army spokesperson Effie Defrin said Hezbollah continued to operate from southern Lebanon despite earlier commitments by the Lebanese government, adding that Israeli forces would act to neutralize the group if it was not disarmed.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees warned that Lebanon faces a worsening humanitarian crisis, with representative Karolina Lindholm Billing saying the risk of catastrophe was “real.”International Committee of the Red Cross regional director Nicolas Von Arx said civilians were bearing the brunt of the conflict and urged all parties to ensure their protection.

The escalation follows Hezbollah’s entry into the conflict on March 2, when it fired rockets toward Israel in response to the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, triggering a broader regional confrontation.

The latest escalation, triggered amid a broader regional conflict involving Iran, is widely seen as potentially the most destabilising crisis since Lebanon’s 1975–90 civil war, exacerbating long-standing fractures across its multi-sectarian society.

Israel bombardment and evacuation orders across southern Lebanon, Beirut’s southern suburbs and eastern strongholds have displaced more than one million people, the majority from the Shi’ite community aligned with Hezbollah.

Many have sought refuge in Christian and Druze-majority areas, where tensions have risen sharply, with some residents blaming Hezbollah for provoking the conflict in support of Tehran. Local authorities have tightened vetting procedures for displaced families seeking accommodation, citing fears that individuals linked to Hezbollah could become targets for Israeli strikes.

Clashes have already been reported. In one incident, residents in a predominantly Christian area north of Beirut confronted displaced families after debris from an intercepted Iranian missile landed nearby.

A foreign official described the displacement crisis as “a ticking bomb,” warning that prolonged inability for displaced populations to return home could severely strain communal relations.

Tensions between Hezbollah and the Lebanese state are intensifying. The government led by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and President Joseph Aoun has banned Hezbollah’s military wing, called for talks with Israel and demanded the departure of Iran’s ambassador.Hezbollah officials have responded with sharp rhetoric.

Senior figure Mahmoud Qmati accused the government of acting like collaborators, drawing comparisons to Vichy France during World War Two, and warned of potential escalation, though he later said his remarks were misinterpreted.

Druze lawmaker Wael Abu Faour said political divisions and “defiant rhetoric” were heightening fears for internal stability.

Military pressure and strategic stakesIsrael has threatened to inflict Gaza-like destruction and signalled plans to establish a “security zone” extending to the Litani River, effectively preventing large numbers of displaced Shi’ites from returning to southern areas until northern Israel’s security is assured.

An Israeli military official said evacuation orders had focused on Shi’ite villages, while Christian areas remained largely unaffected, a distinction critics say risks reinforcing sectarian perceptions of the conflict.Israeli authorities maintain their operations target only Hezbollah and reject accusations of acting against specific civilian groups.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah retains a military capability that surpasses Lebanon’s national army, complicating efforts by the state to assert control. The group’s rapid redeployment to southern frontlines has further undermined confidence in government authority.

Lebanese politicians warn that the war could reshape the country’s political order. Christian lawmaker Alain Aoun said the longstanding coexistence between state institutions and Hezbollah’s armed wing may be nearing its end.

“The coexistence between the state and Hezbollah arms which we witnessed for decades is nearing its end in one way or another,” he said, pointing to potentially far-reaching consequences for Lebanon’s political system.

Hezbollah officials, however, signal they expect the government to reverse its decisions once the conflict subsides, framing the confrontation with Israel as a priority over internal disputes.

With Israeli officials indicating operations could continue beyond the wider regional conflict, and proposals under discussion involving curbs on Iranian support to Hezbollah, Lebanon’s trajectory remains closely tied to developments across the Middle East.