Israeli Soldier Wounded in Grenade Attack in South Lebanon as Talks on Partial Withdrawal Advance

An unusual operational incident took place late Wednesday evening in the Yaron area of southern Lebanon, inside the so-called yellow line, when a militant threw a grenade at an IDF force. According to the army, the attack happened around 10 p.m. and left one officer moderately wounded, while another officer and two additional soldiers were lightly wounded. The troops returned fire and killed the attacker.

The wounded were evacuated to hospitals in Israel for treatment, and their families were notified. The incident came just hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used a graduation ceremony at the IDF officers’ school, Bahad 1, to say Israel would remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon for as long as necessary.

At the ceremony for Course 75, Netanyahu said Israel had “changed the rules of the game” in the region and had “broken through the barrier of fear” through initiative and aggression. He added that there were still missions to complete against Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah, and said, “We will remain as long as needed in the security area in southern Lebanon.”

Behind the public statements, however, indirect talks between Israel and Lebanon mediated by the United States are working toward a pilot arrangement that would involve a limited Israeli withdrawal. The fifth round of talks, held over three consecutive days at the U.S. State Department in Washington, was expected to conclude Thursday. The reported plan would see the IDF pull back from a small area, including land south of the Litani River, with the Lebanese army then taking over and the United States monitoring implementation.

A senior Israeli official told N12 the discussions were advancing “step by step,” and said that if the pilot succeeds, it could be expanded later. Major disagreements remain over the size and borders of the area to be evacuated, the pace of the withdrawal, and the conditions for widening it, with Israel insisting on a gradual process that would prevent Hezbollah from returning to the contact line.