Israeli Forces Expand Ground Operations Beyond ‘Yellow Line’ in South Lebanon
The “Yellow Line” reportedly runs around 10 kilometers (six miles) inside southern Lebanon and has served as the limit of Israeli ground operations since a ceasefire took effect on April 17.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Israeli forces have begun operating beyond the military’s self-declared “Yellow Line” in southern Lebanon, extending ground activities deeper into Lebanese territory amid continuing clashes with the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, a military official confirmed on Tuesday.
The “Yellow Line” reportedly runs around 10 kilometers (six miles) inside southern Lebanon and has served as the limit of Israeli ground operations since a ceasefire took effect on April 17.
“The IDF is operating in a targeted manner beyond the Forward Defense Line in order to remove direct threats to the citizens of the State of Israel and IDF troops, in accordance with the directives of the political echelon,” the Israeli military official told AFP.
The official declined to disclose the precise locations of Israeli troops, saying operational details could not be provided.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz and news outlet Ynet reported that Israeli forces had launched operations north of the Yellow Line to counter threats posed by Hezbollah’s explosive drones.
Despite the ceasefire agreement, cross-border exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah have continued almost daily, fueling concerns of a broader escalation along the Lebanese-Israeli frontier.
On Tuesday, several Israeli strikes hit the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh following an unprecedented Israeli evacuation warning. The attacks came a day after at least 11 people were reportedly killed in Israeli strikes in eastern Lebanon.
Hezbollah said its fighters confronted Israeli troops attempting to advance toward a town overlooking Nabatieh, though further details on the clashes were not immediately available.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah intensified sharply following the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023. Months of cross-border fighting displaced tens of thousands of civilians on both sides of the border and raised fears of a wider regional war before international mediation efforts led to the April ceasefire.