By Zoey
Israeli forces and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah engaged in some of the fiercest fighting in weeks on Tuesday along Lebanon’s strategically important Litani River, as Israeli troops attempted to advance farther north despite a fragile ceasefire that has increasingly unraveled amid the broader regional conflict involving Iran.
The escalation came just days before Lebanese and Israeli military delegations are scheduled to hold direct talks in Washington, negotiations viewed by international mediators as critical to preventing a wider regional war and stabilizing the increasingly volatile Israel-Lebanon front.
Heavy Israeli airstrikes and ground clashes intensified across southern Lebanon after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he had authorized expanded military operations targeting Hezbollah positions throughout the country.
The Litani River has effectively served as an unofficial dividing line in southern Lebanon for decades, with large areas south of the river currently under Israeli military control despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement that has formally been in place for more than a month.
However, continuing military operations by both sides have steadily eroded confidence in the ceasefire, raising concerns that the conflict could spiral into a broader regional confrontation tied to the ongoing war involving Iran.
Israeli military officials said overnight operations targeted more than 100 Hezbollah-linked sites across southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley. According to the Israeli military, the strikes focused on weapons storage facilities, command centers and observation posts allegedly used to coordinate attacks against Israeli troops and communities in northern Israel.
An Israeli security official, speaking anonymously under military regulations, said additional troops had been deployed to Lebanon, including another battalion sent to reinforce operations along the border region.
Lebanese state media reported that one of the deadliest strikes hit the eastern village of Mashghara, where at least 12 people were killed, including multiple members of the same family. Rescue teams and emergency crews continued searching damaged buildings following the attack.
Israeli operations have also intensified around Nabatieh city and the surrounding province north of the Litani River. Israeli forces issued warnings Tuesday urging residents to evacuate parts of the area ahead of expected military operations, prompting renewed panic among civilians already displaced by months of fighting.
Hezbollah responded with a wave of rocket fire, artillery strikes and exploding drone attacks aimed at Israeli troops and armored vehicles operating near the river and surrounding villages, including Yohmor al-Shaqif and Zawtar al-Sharqieh.
The group’s media outlet, Al-Manar, claimed Hezbollah fighters successfully repelled several Israeli attempts to advance along the riverbanks.
The latest clashes highlighted how rapidly the situation in Lebanon has deteriorated despite ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at reducing tensions.
While the Lebanese capital of Beirut has largely avoided direct bombardment since the ceasefire arrangement was announced, growing fears of renewed escalation have spread throughout the country as Israeli operations move farther north.
“By just saying a few words on television, Netanyahu causes everyone to panic and flee their homes,” said Beirut resident Tony Aboud while speaking in the city’s crowded Hamra district. “Nobody knows what’s going to happen anymore or how long we can keep living this way.”
The Lebanese government, which came to power promising political reform and tighter state control over armed groups, hopes upcoming talks in Washington could eventually produce a permanent ceasefire and secure a full Israeli military withdrawal from Lebanese territory.
However, Hezbollah has strongly opposed direct negotiations with Israel and insists military operations will continue until Israeli airstrikes stop completely and Israeli troops leave Lebanon.
Israeli officials maintain that withdrawal will not occur until Hezbollah no longer poses a threat to northern Israeli communities, many of which have faced repeated drone and rocket attacks in recent months.
In recent weeks, Hezbollah has increasingly highlighted what it describes as new military capabilities, including advanced fiber-optic-guided drones that Israeli defense systems have reportedly struggled to intercept consistently. The group claims those drones have successfully targeted both Israeli military positions and civilian areas in northern Israel.
Israeli authorities have repeatedly warned residents in northern towns to avoid large public gatherings because of the continued threat posed by drone attacks.
“What this requires of us now is to increase the blows and increase the intensity,” Netanyahu said Monday while addressing the growing conflict. “We will smite them hip and thigh.”
The war in Lebanon erupted after Hezbollah launched rockets into northern Israel on March 2 in support of Iran, just days after the wider regional conflict began. Since then, the fighting has displaced more than one million people across Lebanon, creating one of the country’s worst humanitarian crises in decades.
According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, at least 3,185 people have been killed and more than 9,600 wounded in Israeli strikes since the start of the conflict.
On the Israeli side, Netanyahu’s office said 23 Israeli soldiers and one defense contractor have been killed during military operations in or near southern Lebanon. Two Israeli civilians in northern Israel have also been killed, most of them in attacks involving drones launched from Lebanon.
The continuing violence has complicated international diplomatic efforts to secure a broader regional settlement tied to negotiations with Iran, which has demanded that any comprehensive ceasefire arrangement include an end to Israeli military operations in Lebanon.
With direct talks approaching in Washington but fighting escalating on the ground, fears are growing that the window for diplomacy may be rapidly narrowing as both Israel and Hezbollah intensify military pressure ahead of negotiations.
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