Lebanese media reported at least 10 people killed overnight in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon as the IDF weighs how to complete the destruction of remaining Hezbollah infrastructure on the strategic Ali Taher Ridge.
The escalation comes after Hezbollah terrorists launched two explosive drones toward IDF forces controlling the security zone in southern Lebanon. One of the drones was intercepted by Israeli troops, and no Israeli forces were injured.
IDF strikes in southern Lebanon
The IDF described the launches as a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement and responded with a broad wave of strikes in the Nabatieh area and elsewhere in southern Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah weapons depots and military buildings.
Lebanese reports said one of the targets was a three-story building in the village of Roumine in the Nabatieh area. According to the Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen network, nine people were killed in the strike, which it described as a “massacre.”
Reports also said a vehicle was struck in Roumine, killing one of its occupants.
According to the IDF, one of the targets was an active Hezbollah command center established inside a building that had previously served as a hospital. The military said terrorists had recently operated from the site to advance attack plans, conduct surveillance and direct artillery fire.
The IDF said precautions were taken before the strikes to reduce harm to civilians, including an urgent evacuation warning issued to residents of the village of Arab Salim, who were instructed to move around 300 meters away from the targeted facility.
The military also issued an Arabic-language evacuation warning to residents of Deir al-Zahrani in the Nabatieh area.
“Following the blatant violation of the ceasefire, after Hezbollah launched a drone toward IDF forces, we are being forced to respond,” the military said. “Civilians in the area must evacuate immediately.”
The latest strikes come as Israel prepares for a decision on the next phase of operations at Ali Taher Ridge.
After IDF commandos and the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit, operating under the 36th Division, completed the clearing of the ridge, the military is now determined to completely eliminate the remaining Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure in the strategic area.
Israel’s security establishment is expected to decide in the coming days how to carry out the destruction phase in the most effective way.
Vehicle struck in the village of Roumine, Lebanon
The IDF’s moves to destroy Hezbollah assets on the ridge have deeply concerned the terrorist organization’s leadership, which is trying by every means possible to stop them. Hezbollah is seeking to involve Iran in the confrontation in an attempt to establish a new deterrence equation with Israel that would prevent the destruction of those assets.
At the same time, Israel’s security establishment is closely watching the response from Washington and President Donald Trump, hoping it will not be required to halt the operation.
Once a decision is made to fully complete the operation, the IDF is expected to withdraw to defensive lines farther back. Forces are already preparing for that possibility.
The main objective is to establish a significant, fortified defensive line ahead of the holiday period while continuing to preserve the framework of the agreement with the Lebanese state in the pilot areas. The IDF acknowledges, however, that there has not yet been satisfactory progress on the ground.
The military said its forces would continue operating forcefully on Ali Taher Ridge and across southern Lebanon to remove any threat and would not allow Hezbollah to harm Israeli soldiers or civilians, while remaining committed to the ceasefire agreement.
Tensions surrounding Ali Taher Ridge are expected to continue in the coming days as Israel determines the most effective way to destroy the remaining infrastructure there.
For now, the IDF’s goal is to complete the operation without triggering repercussions that could spill over into other arenas.
First published: 05:10, 09.07.26