Lebanon03 September, 20263 min read
Israel Expands Occupied Positions in Southern Lebanon, BBC Reports
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Israel bombarded and conducted incursions across several areas of southern Lebanon. Forces penetrated Haltā farm and al-Mansuriya, with explosions in Haḍathā and Wadi Barʿashīt.
8 outlets told this the same way.
Occupied South Lebanon
The BBC described a drive on the highway by the Mediterranean in southern Lebanon near the border with Israel as “scenic and, these days, desolate,” with crops abandoned and buildings destroyed by Israeli air strikes. Near the town of Naqoura, the BBC said a Lebanese military checkpoint painted in the white-and-red colours of the national flag was the last visible sign of the state's presence, while a few minutes further south around a dozen Israeli flags marked the start of occupied territory where “Unless authorised by Israel, no-one can enter.” The BBC said the strip of land currently controlled by Israel constitutes around 5% of Lebanese territory and, in some places, extends 10km from the border, and it reported that Unifil escorts civilians to and from Christian villages near the border.
The BBC also reported that Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz told the military to “take all necessary steps to prepare for a long-term presence in the area,” and that Unifil said the Israeli military established four new bases in the invaded areas, bringing the number of such positions to nine. In response to the BBC’s questions, the Israeli military told it that buildings destroyed were used by Hezbollah for military purposes and that it operated in accordance with international law, while the BBC reported that human rights groups say some actions amount to deliberate destruction of civilian infrastructure.
Competing Claims and Threats
Al Jazeera reported that an explosion from an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon was seen in the background as Al Jazeera’s Justin Salhani reported from Al-Ghandouriyah village. In the same period, Al Jazeera’s coverage of the broader conflict context came alongside claims that Israel was expanding positions, while the BBC said the most recent Israeli drive began in March after Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel following the killing of the Iranian supreme leader. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, as quoted by al-Sharq, affirmed that Israel continues to violate the framework agreement by continuing shelling and destruction of southern villages it occupies and the demolition of homes and properties.
Al-Sharq also reported that the Lebanese Health Ministry’s Emergency Operations Center said casualties from Israeli attacks since March 2 until September 2 reached 4,354 dead and 12,325 wounded, and that the total toll since October 8, 2023 rises to 8,921 dead and 30,561 wounded. In parallel, i24NEWS said Reuters reported that Iran warned the United States it would “respond forcefully” to an Israeli attack on Mount Ali al-Tahir in southern Lebanon, and it added that Iranian military personnel were taking shelter on the mountain alongside Hezbollah fighters.
Casualties, Displacement, Next Steps
Anadolu Ajansı said Israeli forces penetrated the Haltā farm and the al-Mansuriya town and carried out explosions in Haɗathā and Wadi Barʿashīt, citing official Lebanese media. Anadolu Ajansı reported that the official Lebanese News Agency said Israeli forces prevented residents from leaving their homes, and it described a Merkava tank and a D9 bulldozer entering al-Mansuriya while an Israeli drone dropped two sonic bombs on the Al-ʿAzīyah–al-Mansuriya road. Anadolu Ajansı also said Lebanese authorities date the escalation to March 2 and that they say the attacks have killed more than 4,000 people and injured more than 12,000 others, in addition to the displacement of more than a million people.
The BBC reported that hundreds of thousands of Lebanese remain displaced without knowing when, or if, they will be able to return, and it said the convoy it joined was escorting civilians to and from Christian villages near the border. In al-Sharq’s account, the date of the eighth round of talks between Lebanon and Israel in Rome scheduled for September had not yet been officially set, while the Israeli army stated in a Wednesday press release that Hezbollah fighters fired two suicide-drone bombs at Israeli forces in the Ali al-Tahtar heights area and that its troops shot at one of them and managed to intercept it, with no injuries reported.