ISRAELI ARMY CROSSES LITANI RIVER, REACHES OUTSKIRTS OF NABATIEH CITY

Sat 30 May 2026:

The Israeli army has advanced into villages located north of the Litani River and reached the outskirts of Nabatieh city in southern Lebanon, a senior Lebanese military source told Anadolu on Saturday.

The Israeli forces “have reached villages and towns north of the Litani River, including Zawtar al-Sharqiyah and Shqif Arnoun, and have reached the outskirts of the city of Nabatieh,” said the source.

This was accompanied by an increase in Israeli attacks and incursions into more southern villages and towns, it added.

“The Lebanese army has evacuated its positions from villages and towns that have come under Israeli control” in order to ensure the safety of Lebanese soldiers, the source stated, noting that the Israeli army attacks caused casualties among the Lebanese soldiers.

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“There is no presence of the Lebanese army in areas where the occupation is present in southern Lebanon,” the source added.

Reporting from the southern city of Tyre, Al Jazeera’s Obaida Hitto said Israel was expanding its air campaign in southern Lebanon and encircling Nabatieh in preparation for a potential assault on the city.

“It looks like Israel is trying to make this final push to encircle Nabatieh, breaking through the second and third lines of defence of Hezbollah and isolating the western Bekaa Valley from the south of the country,” Hitto said.

In a statement, Lebanon’s military said later on Saturday that “two soldiers were seriously wounded as a result of being targeted inside a vehicle by a hostile Israeli drone” near Nabatieh.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah said it fired rockets at the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona.

The Lebanese army’s priority at this stage is to strengthen internal stability, the source noted, stating that the ongoing Israeli escalation preceded the US-hosted military meetings with Israel on Friday.

Israel has continued its attacks on Lebanon despite a ceasefire that took effect on April 17 and was extended for 45 days beginning May 17 following indirect talks mediated by the US.

According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, Israeli attacks since March 2 have killed over 3,350 victims across the country.

Lebanese officials are working to disarm Hezbollah, but the task has proved extremely difficult.

Lebanese and Israeli officials are currently engaged in negotiations to end the war, marking the first time the two sides have spoken directly in decades.

The talks are being facilitated by the United States, and a new round is expected in Washington next week.

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun held talks with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Saturday to discuss the security situation and ongoing negotiations with Israel. According to the state-run National News Agency, they agreed to intensify efforts to end the war, which has triggered a humanitarian crisis.

Aoun also spoke by phone with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and stressed the importance of Israel respecting the current ceasefire.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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