Israeli forces continued their offensive against southern Lebanon on Monday, with an airstrike reportedly targeting a location in Wadi al-Hujair as Israeli ground vehicles advanced deeper into the country, with sporadic machine gun fire being reported.
Troops are advancing chiefly in the Ali al-Taher area, which Israeli officials have been presenting as an important southern holding from Hezbollah, despite being notably outside of the area of Lebanon that Israel had previously occupied.
Israel’s Channel 12 is reporting that the Israeli Army has been told to prepare for “several days of combat” in the course of the Ali al-Taher invasion, anticipating that they’ll face some resistance by the fighters in the area.
A boy inspects the damage at the site of an overnight Israeli strike in the southern city of Tyre, Lebanon, May 23, 2026. REUTERS/Aziz Taher
The push began over the weekend with the deadliest strikes Israel has launched since mid-June, when a negotiated deal with the Lebanese government started a relatively reduced rate of attacks. After the latest round of talks adjourned for the month, a new offensive was quick to follow.
The US, according to reports, gave Israel the green light to invade and seize Ali al-Taher, on the understanding that Israel would exercise restraint on other fronts and take diplomatic steps to try to advance the talks next time they’re held.
The Ali al-Taher hills overlook the Nabatieh District, and Israel has had designs on occupying much of that during the course of the invasion. They see the hills as a potential source of resistance to that occupation, so they also have decided to seize them.
Israeli officials tried to frame the push as retaliation for Hezbollah resistance to their occupation, which they said amounted to a violation of the ceasefire agreement which Hezbollah was never a party to, but which intended to impose myriad restrictions on them.
