Israeli forces crossed the Litani River in southern Lebanon during a covert, days-long operation that reportedly led to close-range clashes with Hezbollah fighters and injuries among Israeli soldiers, according to Israeli military and media reports on Tuesday.
The operation marked one of Israel's deepest publicly acknowledged incursions into southern Lebanon since the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon took effect on 17 April, while also highlighting Hezbollah’s evolving battlefield tactics against Israeli ground forces and the casualties inflicted during the clashes.
The Israeli army claimed on Tuesday that it had completed an operation aimed at establishing what it described as "operational control" in the Litani River area.
In a statement, the army said forces from the Golani Brigade combat team, operating under Division 36, had carried out a week-long "special operation" to reportedly "clear" the area of alleged "Hezbollah infrastructure".
The military claimed troops allegedly discovered underground routes, weapons depots and launch platforms reportedly used by Hezbollah, while the Israeli air force struck more than 100 targets in support of ground operations.
Israeli Army Radio later reported that elite units, including Egoz and Sayeret Golani, had crossed north of the Litani River and operated near the outskirts of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, around 10 kilometres from the Lebanese border.
According to Israeli reports, the operation lasted roughly 10 days and formed part of preparations for a possible expansion of the fighting in southern Lebanon.
Israeli media also reported that heavy Namer armoured personnel carriers crossed the Litani during the raid, describing the move as a test of Israel's ability to carry out future crossings deeper inside Lebanese territory. How did Hezbollah respond? Several Israeli soldiers were wounded after being confronted by Hezbollah fighters in close-range clashes north of the Litani River, according to Israeli Army Radio, which said the military had imposed a media blackout on the incidents until now.
According to Israeli reports, Hezbollah fighters emerged from tunnel openings during at least one confrontation and exchanged fire with Israeli troops at extremely close range.
An Israeli military dog from the elite Oketz unit was reportedly killed during the clashes.
The confrontations came as Hezbollah intensified attacks on Israeli troops and military positions along the border through coordinated drone, rocket and artillery operations.
Recent operations claimed by Hezbollah suggest the group was increasingly relying on "multi-layered fire ambushes", combining explosive drones, rocket salvos and artillery fire in successive waves targeting Israeli troops, evacuation teams and reinforcement forces.
In one recent operation in Taybeh, Hezbollah said it struck Israeli troops inside a building using an explosive drone before targeting rescue and reinforcement forces arriving afterwards.
The attack forced Israeli forces to evacuate casualties by helicopter under heavy smoke cover and fire. Why are Hezbollah's drone tactics drawing attention? Lebanese and Israeli media reports suggest Hezbollah is increasingly using swarms of drones and coordinated attacks designed to overwhelm Israeli short-range air defences and complicate battlefield responses.
Operations targeting areas including Bayyada, Naqoura and Odaisseh involved simultaneous drone and artillery attacks against Israeli military vehicles, engineering equipment and newly established command posts.
Israeli media have acknowledged growing concern over Hezbollah's ability to target soldiers as well as logistical and technological assets, including bulldozers, artillery systems and uncrewed engineering vehicles. Army Radio correspondent Doron Kadosh said Hezbollah had begun targeting robotic and unmanned engineering systems with explosive drones, indicating an expansion in the group's target bank.
Israeli reports have also pointed to mounting anxiety among settlers in northern Israel over the increasing threat posed by Hezbollah drones. Channel 12 reported growing anger among residents in northern settlements, with some accusing the government of failing to protect civilians from drone attacks.
Israeli newspaper Maariv recently acknowledged that a Hezbollah drone strike on an Iron Dome battery damaged the prestige of the air defence system after the drone reportedly evaded detection and interception.
The newspaper also reported that the Israeli military attempted to suppress details of the incident before Hezbollah later released footage of the attack. What does the operation reveal about the fighting in southern Lebanon? The Litani River raid and the subsequent clashes point to an increasingly complex war of attrition developing along the Lebanon-Israel frontier despite the ceasefire.
Lebanese media close to Hezbollah have portrayed the confrontations as evidence that the group was successfully exhausting Israeli forces through layered attacks targeting combat troops, rescue teams, military engineering units and the Israeli home front simultaneously.
Israeli media reports have also reflected growing concern inside the security establishment about the expanding scale, intensity of Hezbollah operations and rising costs.
Israeli outlet Walla quoted officers in the northern command as saying the military was not publicly disclosing everything taking place along the border, amid a rise in Hezbollah attacks that have not been fully reported to the Israeli public.