Expanding the battlefield: Hezbollah-Israel clashes extend geographically

Have the confrontations in the south entered a new phase marked by the expansion of Israeli attacks' geography, intensifying their severity and consequently widening the displacement movement?

For over a month since the outbreak of the Al-Aqsa confrontations, the battles were confined to within two kilometers on both sides of the Lebanese-Israeli border.

However, after the first month, the conflict area between Hezbollah and Israel expanded to a five-kilometer border area, reaching Beit Yahoun on 22 October 2023, ten kilometers from the border.

Subsequently, the clashes gradually extended to Toul in Nabatieh, 20 kilometers from the border, and then to the Zahrani region, 40 kilometers from the border.

The geographical expansion, accompanied by tactical changes, shifted from targeting resistance fighters and the outskirts of towns and agricultural areas to targeting buildings and squares.

In Khiam, for example, the enemy used internationally banned white phosphorus bombs for the first time in the town square, leading to the roads being choked with toxic white smoke.

In Naqoura, the shelling leveled a three-story house two days ago, causing damage to homes and businesses relatively distant from it.

Facing the new field reality, figures from the Disaster Management Authority indicated an increase in the displacement movement.

According to the latest report prepared by the Red Cross and the International Organization for Migration, the number of displaced persons rose from 55,000 at the beginning of last December to more than 70,000 displaced persons at the beginning of January in less than a month.

Furthermore, the figures obtained by LBCI indicated that the displaced persons from the Tyre district, after being no more than 5,000 last month, have become 24,000 displaced persons who moved from villages and towns to safer areas.

The Bint Jbeil district also recorded an increase in displacement, with the numbers reaching 27,000 displaced persons, while the rest are distributed among 10,000 displaced persons from the Bint Jbeil district and 10,000 from other border areas.