Israeli forces carry out overnight demolitions in south Lebanon; Ali Taher heights under fire until dawn | LIVE

Mansouri residents stage protest, calling for their return to the village

Photo received by Muntasser Abdallah

Residents of the village of Mansouri (Sour district) have begun gathering near a Lebanese Army checkpoint in the Ameriyeh area close to the village's junction, calling for their return to the village, according to our correspondent in the South.

Last Wednesday, the Israeli army issued an evacuation order to the village after Israeli soldiers had been killed and wounded in the explosion of an improvised explosive device in Majdal Zoun, in the Sour district.

Israeli army drops explosive barrels on Ali Taher heights

A small Israeli drone has dropped explosive barrels on the Ali Taher heights (Nabatieh district), according to our correspondent in the South.

Israel negotiations: Aoun speaks with Simon Karam

The Lebanese presidency said on X that President Joseph Aoun spoke with Simon Karam, head of the Lebanese delegation tasked with negotiations with Israel and a former ambassador. Karam briefed him on the substance of the discussions held in Rome last week. The president also gave him his directives for the next stage, the presidency added.

New Israeli demolition in Majdal Zoun

This morning, the Israeli army carried out a new demolition in Majdal Zoun, in the Sour district, our south Lebanon correspondent Mountasser Abdallah reported.

Israeli artillery fire on Ali Taher heights continues into early morning

Israeli artillery fire targeted the Ali Taher heights, a strategic hill south of Nabatieh. Bombardment in the area continued until 3 a.m. this morning. Artillery shells also targeted the outskirts of Zawtar Sharqieh.

The Israeli army is encircling Ali Taher in preparation for launching a battle if the Lebanese Army does not agree to enter the area, take control of it, dismantle Hezbollah’s military infrastructure and evacuate its fighters. Israeli forces have tightened their encirclement of Ali Taher.

According to our information, around 40 fighters, including Hezbollah members as well as some members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, are reportedly surrounded there.

Hezbollah has reportedly rejected all proposals to open a secure passage allowing its men to evacuate the military facility and hand it over to the Lebanese Army, in exchange for the removal of the weapons located there.

Another night of Israeli demolitions in several areas of south Lebanon

Sunday night into Minday was marked by another escalation in south Lebanon as Israeli forces carried out several major demolition operations in Kfar Tibnit, Haddatha and between Taybeh and Deir Siryane, our regional correspondent Mountasser Abdallah reports.

Around 11 p.m., a major demolition in Kfar Tibnit, in the Nabatieh district, was heard as far away as the Zahrani area. After midnight, the Israeli army carried out another demolition in Haddatha, in the Bint Jbeil district, before another explosion was reported between Taybeh and Deir Siryane, in the Marjayoun district. Israeli drones also flew over the area during the night.

The night was also marked by heavy Israeli artillery fire, targeting in particular the Deir neighborhood of Nabatieh Fawqa, as well as Mansouri (Sour).

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East, a month after hostilities between Washington and Tehran resumed, even though U.S. bombardments have ceased for more than a week. Iran has made the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz conditional on the lifting of the U.S. blockade on its ports and an end to U.S. attacks and threats.

The conflict has also spread to a new front in Saudi Arabia, where the kingdom is facing Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

We will also be following the situation in south Lebanon, where the Israeli army continues to occupy several hundred square kilometers along the border.