Smoke billowing from a vehicle targeted by an Israeli drone on the Saadiyat highway, south of Beirut, on April 15, 2026. (Credit: Photo shared by Mountasser Abdallah/L'Orient Today)
SOUTH LEBANON — Tuesday's talks in Washington, did not directly pave the way for a de-escalation in Lebanon—quite the opposite. After a particularly violent day unfolding in parallel with the negotiations, Wednesday pointed further toward escalation, with continued Israeli strikes in the south killing 43 people and injuring 140, according to a late-afternoon update from local authorities.
Notably, two drone strikes targeted vehicles south of Beirut, while three rescuers were killed and several others injured in successive Israeli strikes on rescue teams who responded to a bombing site in Mayfadoun, in the Nabatieh district. In the afternoon, the Israeli army said it had struck more than 200 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon over the past 24 hours, including “terrorists, military structures and about 20 rocket launchers.”
Still, by late afternoon, reports emerged of a possible cease-fire. A senior Iranian political-security source told Al-Mayadeen that it could be implemented in Lebanon as early as tonight, potentially for one week (lasting until the end of the cease-fire between Iran and the United States).
Separately, a senior Israeli official told Haaretz that “no decision has yet been made” and that the security cabinet would discuss the matter on Wednesday evening. Another Israeli source said a proposal for such a cease-fire had been “submitted at the request of the United States,” adding that “fire will not stop as long as Hezbollah continues” to launch rockets.
The Israeli security cabinet is expected to discuss a possible cease-fire with Lebanon at 8 p.m. (Beirut time), according to an Israeli source quoted by CNN.
Drone strikes south of Beirut, Bint Jbeil city center encircled
The Israeli army carried out two consecutive drone strikes Wednesday morning on vehicles traveling along the main southern highway, about 20 kilometers from the capital. The strikes, minutes apart, targeted a van near Saadiyat and a car near the Jiyyeh–Barja junction, according to our correspondent. The first vehicle was hit directly by two missiles, scattering burning debris across the highway.
It’s the first time since last Thursday that Israel has struck outside southern Lebanon and the Bekaa. The pause in attacks on Beirut and its suburbs came amid international pressure — particularly from the United States — following the “Black Wednesday” massacres, which killed nearly 400 people.
On the ground in southern Lebanon, the Israeli army continued its rapid advance toward Bint Jbeil, the main town in the border strip, with a population of at least 30,000 — all now displaced. The army has fully encircled the city center after days of intense fighting with Hezbollah.
These developments come as senior Israeli military officials reportedly pushed for an intensified ground campaign in southern Lebanon, extending operations beyond the current line held about five kilometers from the border, according to Israeli army radio. These officials are calling for deeper raids into surrounding villages, arguing the move would “further reduce threats to northern communities,” though the political leadership has yet to decide, the radio added.
According to Israeli army data cited Wednesday morning via army radio, around 70–80% of Hezbollah fire into Israeli territory originates north of the Litani River.
The Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronoth reported that Hezbollah fighters, likely from the elite Radwan Force, had planned an infiltration attempt against a position held by Israeli soldiers on Lebanese soil, without providing further details on timing or location.
The Israeli army also said Tuesday that the commander of the 52nd armored battalion was seriously wounded during an operation in southern Lebanon. The circumstances are still under investigation, and the officer was evacuated to hospital for treatment, Yediot Ahronoth reported.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said one of its convoys was intercepted by Israeli soldiers just a few kilometers from its destination in Naqoura (Sour district).
Hezbollah strikes northern Israel, soldiers targeted in Bayyada
For its part, after a night without fire, Hezbollah said early Wednesday it carried out rocket attacks on eleven villages in northern Israel between 8 and 8:30 a.m., according to two statements.
The Israeli army, meanwhile, reported around 30 rockets launched from southern Lebanon in the morning, eight of which were intercepted. The attacks slightly wounded a man in Tamra, about 25 kilometers from the border, according to rescue services cited by Haaretz.
Among its operations, Hezbollah said it targeted Israeli military vehicles and soldiers in Bayyada, south of Sour, with rockets. It also said it fired a surface-to-air missile at an Israeli fighter jet over Debaal (Sour district) and intercepted an Israeli Hermes 450 (“Zik”) drone over Qabrikha (Bint Jbeil district) on Tuesday afternoon. The Hermes 450 is an unmanned aerial vehicle used for long-duration surveillance, reconnaissance and combat missions.
Finally, Lebanon’s Ministry of Health released its daily war toll late Wednesday afternoon, reporting 2,167 killed and 7,061 injured between March 2 and April 15, 2026.
Rubio condemns Iran's 'outrageous' attacks on Kuwait
