Israel blows up homes, shells towns in southern Lebanon

Israeli forces intensified attacks in southern Lebanon on Friday, blowing up homes and other structures while carrying out artillery shelling and machine-gun fire in several areas, according to the Lebanese National News Agency (NNA). Israeli forces carried out extensive machine-gun fire in the towns of Khiam and Qantara, while homes were also set on fire in Qantara, the NNA said. The agency said the Israeli army carried out an explosion in the town of Tayri in the Bint Jbeil district, while artillery fire targeted Wadi al-Hujeir toward the town of Touline with 155-millimeter shells.

Artillery shelling also struck areas around Kfar Shuba in the Arqoub region, the outskirts of Hadatha in the Bint Jbeil district and Wadi Zibqin in the Tyre district. The area between the towns of Mayfadoun and Zawtar al-Sharqiya also came under intermittent artillery fire. In a separate incident, Israeli forces blew up a house belonging to Hassan Nabaa, a resident of Kfar Shuba, on the Kfar Shuba-Sedana Hill-Shebbaa road, destroying its contents, according to the agency.

It also reported that an interceptor missile exploded above the town of Taybeh, without providing details. Separately, contact was lost with a young man from the town of Rub Thalathin after he stopped his vehicle in the Wadi al-Hujeir area and continued on foot toward Qantara, according to the agency. The developments came after technical military meetings on Oct. 20 and 21 between Beirut and Tel Aviv in Tampa, Florida, under US sponsorship.

The meetings ended without an announced breakthrough or joint statement, although reports said the sides agreed to continue talks amid disputes over Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah. On June 26, Beirut and Tel Aviv reached a Framework Agreement providing for a gradual Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory in exchange for the deployment of the Lebanese army and the disarmament of armed groups.

It includes the use of “pilot areas” for implementation but has so far been applied in three towns, while more than 50 towns remain under Israeli occupation. Despite the agreement, Israel has continued military operations in Lebanon, killing at least 4,386 people and wounding 12,407 since March 2. More than 1 million people have also been displaced. Israel occupies areas of southern Lebanon, some for decades and others since the 2023-2024 war, while during the latest conflict, its forces advanced up to around 10 kilometers (6 miles) into Lebanese territory.