While the US-brokered Israel-Lebanon talks didn’t actually wrap up until Thursday, Israel was already scaling the war back up substantially on Wednesday, giving the impression that the relative reduction in violence of recent weeks is coming to an end.
On Wednesday Israel fired 113 projectiles into Lebanon, the most strikes launched in a single day since mid-June, according to UNIFIL peacekeepers. One person was killed and 11 wounded in a day-time attack on Tebnine, and the attacks continued into the night.
Overnight strikes against the Tyre District village of Burj al-Shamali wounded at least eight more people. The attacks involved three distinct drone strikes followed up by an airstrike by an Israeli warplane.
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
Further airstrikes and artillery strikes were reported against Mansouri, Majdal Zoun, and the al-Hamra area, though no casualties were reported in those. Israel, notably, issued another order to Mansouri to be evacuated on Wednesday, after complaining that locals had attempted to return to their homes there.
Reports in the Israeli media suggest that Israel is considering another substantial military escalation in Lebanon. Though that has yet to be confirmed, Wednesday’s salvos also suggest that strategy may already be partially underway.
This week’s US-brokered talks adjourned apparently without any new agreements, and a preliminary date of September 1 has been set for the next talks, meaning there is effectively no diplomatic obstacle standing in the way of more escalations in the next several weeks.
