Civilians and Lebanese Red Cross personnel stand on the rubble of a damaged building while a bulldozer helps search for victims following an Israeli strike on the village of Qennarit in southern Lebanon, June 20, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. (Credit: Reuters)
SOUTH LEBANON — Israeli attacks continued Wednesday in southern Lebanon, including demolitions, drone strikes, artillery fire and explosions, despite the framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel.
However, the situation did not see a major escalation, according to our correspondent, as tensions rose across the Middle East with American bombardments in Iran, the end of the protocol agreement between Washington and Tehran, and Iranian strikes in the Gulf.
The noose nonetheless appeared to be tightening around the strategic heights of Ali Taher, south of the Nabatieh region, where an Israeli flag was raised Tuesday. The outskirts of this hill were targeted multiple times by the Israeli army overnight, including artillery fire and, on at least two occasions, the launch of flares above the area. In the middle of the afternoon, an Israeli drone strike once again targeted Ali Taher, while artillery fire struck the same area, which Israeli forces are seeking to control.
At the end of June, the Israeli army claimed to have surrounded a Hezbollah underground complex on Ali Taher, trapping dozens of Hezbollah fighters inside. This hill carries both symbolic and strategic significance. Located north of the Litani River, it is considered a key vantage point overlooking much of southeastern Lebanon, notably the medieval Beaufort Castle and the surrounding valley, Nabatieh district, the Iqlim al-Touffah region, and Jabal Rihan in the Jezzine district.
Blasts in Bint Jbeil and Deir Siryan
The Israeli army also carried out a significant demolition in the locality of Bint Jbeil in the morning, after a large nighttime blasting operation in Deir Siryan, in the Marjayoun district.
During the day, the Zawtar-Farah intersection in Nabatieh district, as well as the area between Beit Yahoun and Aita Jabal in the Bint Jbeil district, were targeted by Israeli artillery fire. At the same time, the Israeli army fired machine guns toward Haddatha in the Bint Jbeil district. It also carried out a blast in Arnoun, in the Nabatieh district.
The Israeli army further announced that during a "face-to-face" fight, it killed a man it identified as a Hezbollah militiaman inside a building in Bint Jbeil. In a statement, it said the incident took place as soldiers from the "Yiftach" reserve brigade searched a building in the area "where last Thursday a clash occurred during which a reservist was seriously wounded." At the time, the army said it had not found the shooter. "During the search, a Hezbollah militiaman holed up inside the building opened fire on the soldiers, who immediately returned fire and killed him," the army added.
