Israeli forces are attempting to push deeper into southern Lebanon , as Hezbollah intensifies attacks across multiple fronts, leaving the conflict in a grinding stalemate with no diplomatic resolution in sight.
Fighting has centred on the southern border, where Israel is seeking to expand its ground presence up to eight kilometres inside Lebanese territory.
Hezbollah has responded by increasing its military operations, targeting Israeli troop movements with guided missiles and engaging in direct clashes in border towns.
The pace of escalation has accelerated in recent days, with some deaths among the Israelis.
Israel has focused most of its operations in the south, while continuing to carry out strikes elsewhere, including Beirut’s southern suburbs .
Hezbollah has sharply raised the tempo of its attacks, launching 94 operations on Thursday alone targeting Israeli movements along the border, as well as military positions and settlements in northern Israel.
Despite the intensifying conflict, diplomatic efforts have so far failed to yield any breakthrough. International engagement with Beirut, particularly from Egypt and France, in search of a ceasefire, has not yielded any progress.
Lebanon has also moved to raise the issue at the UN following Israeli statements indicating an intention to occupy territory south of the Litani River.
Officials have accused Israel of attempting to isolate the area by destroying bridges across the river and carrying out sustained attacks, alongside mass displacement of civilians from towns and villages.
In a video statement released on Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to expand what he called a "security buffer" zone across the border.
"We are determined to fundamentally change the situation in Lebanon," he said. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has instructed Foreign Minister Youssef Raji to submit an urgent complaint to the UN Security Council, calling on the international body to intervene and halt what Lebanon describes as ongoing violations.
On the ground, Israeli forces have carried out demolitions that have destroyed homes in multiple border towns, including Kfarkela, Aita al-Shaab, Khiam and Mays al-Jabal.
Clashes there have reportedly led to the destruction of Israeli tanks and military vehicles, with Hezbollah maintaining sustained fire on troop positions.
In key flashpoints such as Maroun al-Ras and Yaroun, Israeli forces remain under near-daily attack. In Khiam, troops have continued demolitions and fortified positions across several neighbourhoods, while other parts of the town have come under sustained air and artillery bombardment.
In the town of Taybeh, Hezbollah claimed to have destroyed around 18 Israeli tanks and carried out coordinated ambushes using guided missiles, forcing Israeli forces into more dispersed deployments.
Elsewhere, Hezbollah-affiliated media reported that Israeli forces had taken control of the small town of Qawzah after three weeks of fighting, although they continue to face ongoing attacks from missiles and drones, as well as rocket fire targeting newly established positions.
In Naqoura, Israeli forces advanced after entering nearby Alma al-Shaab, with fighting continuing for two days as Israeli positions came under sustained fire.
Retired brigadier general Mounir Shehadeh, a former Lebanese government coordinator with UNIFIL , told The New Arab that Israeli advances remain limited to a narrow strip along the border, without achieving full territorial control.
"In the western sector, clashes have taken place around Naqoura, Alma al-Shaab, Dhayra, and Yarin, where Israeli attempts to advance are met with fierce resistance inside neighbourhoods and at village entrances," he said.
He added that the central sector, including areas such as Aita al-Shaab and Qawzah, has seen some of the heaviest fighting, with Israeli forces encountering ambushes and sustained attacks on armoured units that have prevented them from consolidating positions.
"In the eastern sector, clashes have spread to towns including Maroun al-Ras, Bint Jbeil and Mays al-Jabal, where Israeli forces are attempting advances along multiple axes but continue to face strong resistance, particularly in elevated and built-up areas," he added.
Shehadeh said the Israeli ground operation reflects an attempt to impose a new security reality, but noted that Hezbollah’s strategy of sustained attrition and flexible resistance has so far prevented any decisive outcome.
"The frontline sees direct clashes, while missile strikes have reached cities such as Nahariya and Tiberias, and there remains the capacity to strike deeper targets including Tel Aviv," he said.