An entire section of the village of Taybeh in southern Lebanon destroyed by massive Israeli blasting, in this photo taken on September 2, 2026. Photo Matthieu Karam/L’Orient-Le Jour
SOUTH LEBANON — Israeli forces entered the village of Halta (Hasbaya) on Thursday morning, where they surrounded several homes, following contact made by Israel with the village mokhtar and a member of the local municipality, our correspondent in southern Lebanon reported. Residents were blocked from leaving their homes, whilst the objectives and details of the operation remain unknown.
The Israeli unit raided several houses and abducted and detained around 15 people in one of the village’s neighborhoods, the mayor of Kfar Shuba, Qassem al-Qadri, told our correspondent in southern Lebanon. They later released 12 of those detained and kept three.
Israeli soldiers then abducted Hatem Abdel Aal, a member of the municipality, and took him to an unknown destination. Israeli mortar fire had earlier targeted the hills above Halta.
Located within the "buffer zone," which covers more than 600 squared kilometers of Lebanese territory occupied by Israel, the farming village of Halta falls under the administrative jurisdiction of the Kfar Shuba municipality. Israel had also raided and searched several houses in the village in March 2026, although attacks on Halta have not been particularly common since the resumption of Israel's war on southern Lebanon.
Dynamiting
Also at dawn, Israeli artillery fired five shells towards the Litani riverbed, in the area of the Khardali bridge, targeting an area west of Deir Mimas and east of Beaufort Castle, in the eastern sector.
Shells were also fired toward the outskirts of the neighboring village of Kfar Shuba, where Israeli military vehicles were spotted below the Israeli Ramtha position, on the heights overlooking the village.
In the same region, the Israeli army conducted a controlled explosion near Deir Siryan (Marjayoun), at the same time as artillery fire, as well as in Qantara. In Mansouri, a village bisected by the “Yellow Line” south of Sour in the western sector, artillery fire and the firing of stun grenades were reported.
Overnight, Israel had continued carrying out demolition operations in a number of villages it occupies in southern Lebanon, in addition to firing several rounds of artillery and machine-gun fire in the Nabatieh district.
In particular, intense artillery fire targeted the hills of Ali Taher, Dohat Kfar Roummane, and the Dabshe area (Nabatieh).
In this area, the Israeli army is encircling the strategic Ali Taher ridge, where a Hezbollah military base and fighters are reportedly located. Israel also carried out three major demolition operations after midnight in Kfar Tibnit, near Arnoun. The explosions were heard throughout the Nabatieh region and several kilometers away. Another explosion then occurred shortly after 1 a.m. in Zawtar Sharqieh.
In the Marjayoun district, Israel struck Qantara with five shells, and Wadi Houjeir with six, targeting it again after midnight. Mortar fire also targeted the outskirts of Kfar Shuba (Hasbaya).
Furthermore, machine-gun sweeps were carried out towards Zawtar Sharqieh (Nabatieh), and towards Srebbine (Bint Jbeil).
Throughout Wednesday, Israel also carried out air strikes against houses and buildings in six towns in southern Lebanon, whilst drone strikes targeted three towns.
Fourteen villages were subjected to artillery fire, which destroyed homes and caused fires. The Israeli army is also reported to have carried out more than 14 explosions in seven localities, destroying numerous buildings and setting fire to several houses in two villages.
'Continued Israeli violations'
President Joseph Aoun wrote on X that he told the Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Sjoerd Sjoerdsma during a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Baabda that Israel continues to violate the framework agreement reached during Lebanese-Israeli negotiations in Washington through ongoing attacks and the destruction of southern villages.
Aoun said the Lebanese Army is "fully carrying out its duties" in areas where it has redeployed, adding that claims otherwise seek to "undermine the army and cast doubt on its role."
He said Lebanon remains committed to UNIFIL’s presence in the south, citing its important role, and would welcome another friendly country to continue its work if its mandate cannot be extended.
Sjoerdsma said, "My country stands in solidarity with Lebanon and the Lebanese people," adding that his visit to Nabatieh on Wednesday allowed him to see firsthand the impact of the war on residents and their communities.
Reporting contributed by our correspondent in southern Lebanon, Muntasser Abdallah.
