Published on 5/31/2026
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Last update: 13:13 (Mecca time)
Today, Sunday, Israel intensified its raids on a number of towns in southern Lebanon, at a time when the Israeli army carried out the deepest incursion into Lebanese territory in a quarter of a century, while Hezbollah announced the implementation of attacks on Israeli military sites and gatherings.
The Israeli army announced that it was attacking Hezbollah infrastructure in the city of Tire and other areas in southern Lebanon.
Al Jazeera correspondents reported that Israeli raids targeted the city of Tire and the towns of Deir Al-Zahrani, Al-Marwaniyah, Al-Ghandouriyah, Burj Qalawayh, Kafr Benit, and Al-Qasiba, while other raids targeted the vicinity of the towns of Nabatiyeh Al-Fawqa and Al-Sharqiya in southern Lebanon.
The Lebanese News Agency reported that the Israeli Air Force launched several raids at dawn today on the Arab neighborhood in the town of Deir Al-Zahrani, resulting in deaths and injuries.
The agency added that rescue teams recovered a number of bodies, while a number of people were still under the rubble, noting that the raids targeted residential homes while their residents were sleeping.
Deeper penetration
Meanwhile, Israeli forces took control of the historic Beaufort Castle, built by the Crusaders in southern Lebanon, in what was considered the deepest incursion into Lebanese territory in more than a quarter of a century.
The control of the citadel, located near the city of Nabatieh, came after days of fierce fighting and air strikes that targeted nearby villages.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the army, under the direction of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, took control of Beaufort Castle, describing it as “one of the most important strategic points for protecting the towns of the Galilee.”
Katz added that taking control of the citadel represents a “clear message to Israel’s enemies” that “they will lose their strategic positions one by one.”
Katz continued: “44 years after the heroic battle, and on the day of commemoration of the soldiers who fell in the First Lebanon War in 1982, the soldiers returned to the top of Beaufort Castle and once again raised the Israeli flag above it.”
Channel 12 quoted Katz as saying that Israeli forces will remain in Beaufort Castle as part of the “safe zone” in Lebanon.
For his part, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated that “the return to Beaufort Castle” reflects, as he described it, the correction of “old mistakes,” adding that the costs of the war are high but necessary for Israel’s security.
In turn, the Israeli army spokesman, Avichay Adraee, published a picture on the
Salama added, in a television interview, that Israel destroyed historical markets and public libraries in southern Lebanon, as well as a large number of archaeological sites in the Lebanese city of Tyre.
The Israeli forces had taken Beaufort Castle as a base during their occupation of southern Lebanon, which lasted for about two decades and ended in 2000.
The army said in a statement that it launched a days-long operation in the Beaufort Heights and Wadi Saluki in southern Lebanon, with the aim of “dismantling Hezbollah’s infrastructure and eliminating direct threats to Israeli civilians.”
For its part, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation quoted military sources as saying that the army’s efforts are focused on tightening control over Beaufort Castle and the vicinity of the Saluki River.
The sources added that control of these sites came after clashes and intense fire cover from land and air.
Hezbollah operations
For its part, Hezbollah announced that it bombed with missiles a gathering of Israeli army vehicles and soldiers in the town of Bayyada in southern Lebanon, and also targeted, with a drone, an Israeli military gathering at a helicopter landing pad in the Shlomi settlement.
He also announced that he had fired missiles at Israeli army infrastructure in the Nahariya settlement, at a time when Israeli Army Radio reported that Hezbollah was continuing to expand the range of missile launches towards Israel.
In the morning, the Israeli army announced that a soldier was killed and 4 others were wounded in battles in southern Lebanon, at a time when Israeli forces carried out the deepest incursion into the country in more than a quarter of a century.
The Walla website quoted a source as saying that the dead soldier and the wounded were from the Givati Brigade, and were targeted by drone fire launched by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
For its part, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported that the drone targeted a location in the south near the eastern town of Zawtar, north of the Litani River, yesterday evening.
The authority added that the number of deaths since the ceasefire entered into force has risen to 13 people, including 9 killed in attacks by Hezbollah drones: 8 soldiers and one civilian.
Extensive operation
For her part, an Israeli army spokeswoman announced the start of a large military operation in the Shaqif Heights and the Wadi Saluki area in southern Lebanon. She said it aims to destroy military infrastructure and eliminate militants, within the framework of strengthening operational control in the region and removing what she described as a “direct threat” to the Galilee finger and the town of Metulla.
The spokeswoman added that the operation began a few days ago, with the participation of large ground forces under the command of the 36th Division, and under the guidance of the Military Intelligence Authority, to carry out offensive activity aimed at “expanding the front line of defense.”
It stated that Israeli forces crossed the Litani River and expanded their attacks against Hezbollah to the north of the river, noting that operations are currently expanding towards additional areas.
She also said that the forces are operating in the vicinity of Nabatieh, which she described as one of Hezbollah’s main power centers in southern Lebanon, stressing that the army is ready to expand the attack “as necessary.”
Since last March 2, Israel has launched an expanded aggression against Lebanon, leaving 3,371 dead and 10,129 injured, in addition to more than a million displaced, according to the latest official data.
