ISRAEL EXPANDS LEBANON OPERATIONS AS CEASEFIRE FRAYS

Israel has expanded ground operations in southern Lebanon beyond a demarcation line it established after the April ceasefire with Hezbollah, according to Reuters reporting citing two sources. The line, referred to in reporting as the “Yellow Line,” sits several kilometres inside Lebanese territory and had marked the area of Israeli military control following the U.S.-brokered ceasefire.

The expansion came alongside a major increase in Israeli airstrikes. The Guardian reported that Israel launched more than 120 strikes across Lebanon in one day, targeting what it described as Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley. Le Monde reported that at least 31 people were killed on May 26 in Israeli bombings in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, including civilians.

Israel says the operations are aimed at Hezbollah infrastructure, including storage sites, command centers, observation posts, and positions used to launch attacks on Israeli forces and northern Israeli communities. The Associated Press, carried by the Los Angeles Times, reported that Israeli forces and Hezbollah clashed along the Litani River after overnight strikes, with one strike in Mashghara killing 12 people, including several family members.

Hezbollah has continued attacks against Israeli forces, including drones, rockets, and artillery. Recent reporting has also highlighted Hezbollah’s use of fiber-optic drone systems, which can be more resistant to some electronic jamming. The drone threat is one reason Israeli officials have argued for more aggressive action along the Lebanon front.

The distinction between Hezbollah and Lebanon’s official state institutions is essential. Hezbollah is an Iran-backed armed group and political movement operating inside Lebanon; it is not the Lebanese government. Lebanon’s cabinet, ministries, diplomatic service, and Lebanese Armed Forces are separate state institutions. That distinction matters because Israeli operations inside Lebanon affect Lebanese civilians, territory, and state sovereignty even when Israel says the targets are Hezbollah-linked.

The Lebanese government is caught between outside military pressure and Hezbollah’s internal power. Beirut has sought a diplomatic path involving ceasefire enforcement, Israeli withdrawal, and wider talks, while Hezbollah retains its own armed wing and continues military activity outside full state control. That split makes it difficult for Lebanon’s official government to speak or act with one unified security position.

The humanitarian toll is significant. The Guardian reported that more than 1 million Lebanese have been displaced since hostilities escalated in March, while the number of deaths in Lebanon has climbed above 3,200 in recent reporting. Israeli casualties have also mounted, including soldiers killed in drone attacks.

The escalation also intersects with U.S.-Iran diplomacy. Iran wants the Lebanon front included in any broader regional settlement, while Israel has argued it must retain freedom to act against Hezbollah threats. That makes southern Lebanon one of the places where the wider ceasefire process could either stabilize or break apart.

For now, the ceasefire is fraying in practice even if diplomacy continues on paper. Israel says it is acting against Hezbollah military threats. Hezbollah says it is resisting Israeli operations. Lebanon’s government is trying to preserve a diplomatic track while managing a conflict driven partly by an armed group outside full state control. That is the central tension shaping the next phase of the Israel-Lebanon front.

Fact-check date: 27 May 2026
Sources: Reuters, Associated Press, The Guardian, Le Monde

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