In the details, clashes intensify as Israel seeks to consolidate positions in Lebanons south

3^min

Report by Edmond Sassine, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

Developments continue in the western sector of southern Lebanon, with a video showing an Israeli military vehicle navigating a neighborhood in Tayr Harfa. Several houses in the area appear visibly damaged.

Tayr Harfa and its surroundings have served as a secondary defensive line and a key support position for targeting numerous Israeli military sites.

The area lies along a line stretching from Dhayra and Jebbayn toward Chamaa, where Israeli forces are stationed and recently advanced, despite sustained attacks on their vehicles and personnel.

Recently, the Israeli army has been attempting to advance southward toward Biyyadah, where Hezbollah targeted a military gathering. Should Israeli forces capture Biyyadah, they would control the line extending from Dhayra through Tayr Harfa, Chamaa, and Biyyadah.

This attempt would isolate Naqoura and nearby areas from Tyre and its surrounding villages, placing Israeli forces in a strategically commanding position over several towns south of Tyre.

The push from Biyyadah's southern edge follows days of incursions into Aïn ez Zarqa, parts of Hamoul, and other valleys.

These advances put a large portion of the western sector under Israeli control and could serve as a staging ground for operations targeting villages north of Chamaa, Biyyadah, and Tayr Harfa.

In the eastern sector, the town of Khiam remains under relentless Israeli shelling and airstrikes, which have hit various locations, including the "Imam Khomeini" complex.

Incursions are concentrated in the town's southern and eastern neighborhoods, with intermittent gunfire and continued strikes on gatherings reported.

Separately, the Israeli military announced that its 98th Division raided what it described as key Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon, without specifying the location.

The Division has been advancing from Markaba to Ghajar, with ongoing attempts to push further into Khiam, Tallouseh, and Bani Haiyyan on the eastern edge of Wadi al-Hujeir.

In the latest developments, Hezbollah announced it had targeted a house on the northern outskirts of Maroun El Ras, where Israeli soldiers were stationed, using a guided missile. The attack reportedly caused casualties. Additionally, Hezbollah claimed to have shot down an Israeli drone over Taybeh.