Israeli forces continued to carry out attacks on southern Lebanon, even as they geared up for yet another round of talks with the Lebanese government in the wake of more than half a dozen agreements with them that failed to do anything to stop the ongoing war.
Airstrikes were reported in Baraachit and Beit Yahoun, along with areas around Nabatieh al-Fawqa. Heavy artillery shelling was reported against Ali al-Taher hill, which overlooks the key city of Nabatieh in the south.
Death tolls have been somewhat lower over the past week, since the latest Israel-Lebanon deal was announced. Notably, however, that deal neither required Israel to withdraw from Lebanon nor to stop attacking them. The promise to withdraw from a pair of small “pilot zones” in southern Lebanon was quickly reneged upon, and the attacks have continued.
Smoke rises in southern Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border, in northern Israel, June 17, 2026. REUTERS/Shir Torem
The IDF has also been reported clashes on the ground with Hezbollah. This has led to Israeli soldiers claiming the IDF was making false statements about the incidents, including a claim that a female soldier from the Oketz canine unit shot and killed a Hezbollah fighter. They maintain they didn’t kill anybody, and that it was actually after they left that an 8112 battalion soldier shot and killed someone.
This brings more uncomfortable attention to the constant dubious claims made by the IDF throughout the war. Just two days ago, the IDF attacked and killed four people in a car that they claimed were “suspects” who posed a threat to their troops. The four included three women, among them a school principal and her mother.
The possibility of Israel actually withdrawing from any of Lebanon in a timely fashion seems remote, though President Trump made the assertion that he believes Israel wants to leave, citing the existing deal and predicting “it’s going to work out very well.”
The reality is that the latest deal doesn’t require Israel to withdraw from Lebanon at all, and indeed Israeli officials termed any requirement to withdraw or to stop attack as “red lines” they would not permit in the deal. In fact, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz insisted that the US had never asked them to withdraw in the first place, and Israeli officials make multiple statements seemingly every day that they won’t withdraw. None of this speaks to Israel either wanting to withdraw or having any intention of doing so in the near-term.
