Israel faces resistance in South Lebanon's Khiam as clashes persist and losses mount

Report by Edmond Sassine, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

In the days following Israel's second attempt to seize the town of Khiam, a series of houses in the area were rigged with explosives and detonated.

Over the past 24 hours, sources reported a large explosion near the "Imam Khomeini" compound in northern Khiam, another near the detention center in the southern part of the town, and yet another close to a school in central Khiam, carried out by Israeli forces.

Despite the Israeli army advancing into various neighborhoods in Khiam, clashes persist, particularly in the central and northern-central areas, as Israeli forces continue to be targeted in the eastern and southern parts of the town.

In the eastern sector, a powerful explosion was reported in the Deir Mimas area near the Litani River, although its cause remains unclear. 

Between Deir Mimas, Borj El Mlouk, and Qlayaa, the Israeli army repositioned and reduced its presence following repeated attacks on these points by Hezbollah.

In the western sector, the Israeli army suffered significant losses over the past 24 hours, particularly in Biyyadah, where at least four tanks were destroyed. 

Following these losses, Israeli forces withdrew eastward toward Chamaa and the southern edges of Biyyadah. 

On Monday, an Israeli unit was targeted in a house in Biyyadah after the destruction of a Merkava tank, with casualties reported among its crew.

In Chamaa, Israeli forces escalated their policy of rigging and demolishing structures, blowing up the town's mosque and its minaret. 

Later in the afternoon, large plumes of smoke and the sound of a massive explosion were reported, caused by the detonation of a concrete mixer and a stone factory near Chamaa fortress on its eastern side.

Meanwhile, in the central sector, the intensity of clashes and incursions around the "Bint Jbeil axis" and the surrounding villages has decreased in recent days, although airstrikes and artillery bombardments continue in the area.