Israel tests boundaries in Lebanon with new ground incursions and offenses

Report by Wissam Nasrallah, English adaptation by Laetithia Harb

The Israeli military has acknowledged conducting a recent ground incursion into southern Lebanon, citing the need for "targeted operations" to destroy weapons and prevent Hezbollah from regrouping in the area.

According to Israel's army, the operation focused on a site in the Jabal Blat region that allegedly housed weapons depots and Hezbollah firing posts, as well as hidden arms in the area of Labbouneh. These were the objectives Israeli forces claimed to have destroyed during the raid.

However, both Jabal Blat and Labbouneh are among five Lebanese locations Israel has occupied ahead of the current ceasefire agreement took effect. 

The weapons seen in the published photos are the kind more commonly associated with family disputes in Lebanon.

The Israeli army’s deployment of two separate brigades to seize a Kalashnikov and a B7 in a territory it has already occupied for months is being seen less as a military achievement and more as a calculated show of force — a message that it can operate whenever and however, it chooses.

This is not the first time Israel has violated Lebanese territory since the ceasefire. Previously, the Israeli army entered the town of Meiss El Jabal, where it dug trenches and set up barriers. In Houla, they demolished a home and posted a sign warning residents not to allow Hezbollah to use their properties.

Through repeated incursions and violations, Israel is attempting to establish a new reality on the ground, testing the limits of its freedom to maneuver inside Lebanese territory — and Hezbollah’s patience along with it.