During the night, Arab media reported heavy Israeli strikes across several areas of southern Lebanon, including intensive fire in the Tebnine area, with both airstrikes and artillery used. The Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah militants and infrastructure throughout the night, adding that the attacks came after repeated violations of the ceasefire by Hezbollah.
The strikes came hours after U.S. President Donald Trump formally signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran overnight between Wednesday and Thursday. Shortly afterward, the IDF published a new map showing its redeployed security zone in southern Lebanon, saying its forces are operating about 10 kilometers inside Lebanese territory to remove threats and strengthen protection for northern Israeli residents.
Hezbollah responded with a statement claiming a series of operations against what it called repeated Israeli ceasefire violations in southern Lebanon. In the statement, the group said its fighters confronted an Israeli army force that tried to advance from the village of Arnoun toward Tebnine, framing the actions as part of its Ashura operations.
Commentator Ron Ben-Yishai wrote that Hezbollah has been significantly weakened since Israel’s “Northern Arrows” operation in the fall of 2024 and later by “With All My Heart,” which exposed vulnerabilities in Iran. He said the group has lost most of its long-range and heavy missile systems, and that since October 8, 2023, about 8,000 of its roughly 30,000 fighters and commanders have been killed. Despite that, he argued Hezbollah still retains rockets, anti-tank missiles, drones and loitering munitions, and can still disrupt life in northern Israel through guerrilla warfare. He said disarming Hezbollah would require the IDF to seize most of Lebanon, something it currently lacks the manpower, resources and plans to do, while the Trump-Iran memorandum further reduced Israel’s freedom of action in Lebanon.
Families of wounded soldiers expressed anger and fear over the arrangement. One father told ynet, “How many more dead are needed before someone understands that with this agreement we really have nothing to do in Lebanon with all the redeployment?” A friend of a wounded soldier in Rambam Hospital in Haifa said, “They sign a memorandum of understanding, and the IDF is basically standing still.” A relative of another wounded soldier said troops felt “like ducks in a shooting gallery,” and asked what exactly was being defended and fought for.
