A week of intense fighting in southern Lebanon ended after Israel's political leadership ordered a ceasefire, following days of back-and-forth strikes and the deaths of six Israeli soldiers. At the same time, diplomatic efforts to revive talks between the United States and Iran are restarting in Switzerland after Tehran announced it was closing the Strait of Hormuz again, accusing Israel and the U.S. of violating understandings tied to the Lebanon ceasefire.
On the ground, the Israel Defense Forces are still holding the security zone in southern Lebanon and remain active in the main combat areas. The fiercest fighting has centered on the Tebnine area, where troops from the Givati Brigade and the 401st Armored Brigade, under the 36th Division, say they found a Hezbollah underground tunnel network more than a kilometer long and trapped dozens of militants after sealing the exits. Israel also continues to hold the Beaufort Ridge, which it describes as a key control point used in the past to fire at northern communities.
Several deadly incidents marked the week. In A-Taybeh on Tuesday, Staff Sgt. Alexander Filin, a reservist in the 36th Division, was killed by an explosive device believed to have been planted by Hezbollah militants. Seven other soldiers were wounded, including the deputy commander of the 36th Division. Earlier that day, six more soldiers were hurt in two separate attacks by explosive drones in southern Lebanon.
On the night between Thursday and Friday, an unidentified projectile struck the tank of Lt. Col. Dor Gedalya Ben Shimon, commander of Battalion 52, in Tebnine. All four soldiers in the tank were killed, and the names of only Ben Shimon and Sgt. Yoav Klein have so far been cleared for publication. Less than a day later, a commando force was hit in the same area by a mortar round and a suicide drone, killing Sgt. Nir Ben Ari of the Maglan unit and wounding 13 others, two of them seriously. Israel responded throughout the week with heavy strikes on Hezbollah targets, while Lebanon's health ministry said 83 people were killed and 141 wounded in Israeli attacks since yesterday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel would exact a "heavy price" for any ceasefire violation and would respond forcefully to any harm to soldiers or civilians. Even with the ceasefire order, Israeli officials said there is no withdrawal from southern Lebanon, no major change in troop deployment beyond planned rotations, and forces will remain in the forward defense area and the "yellow line" security zone. Meanwhile, new U.S.-Iran talks are set to begin in technical form in Switzerland tomorrow, with Pakistani and Qatari mediators involved, and CNN reported that U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance may travel there as the Iranian delegation, led by parliament speaker Mohammad Qalibaf, is already en route.
