Israel releases map of ´buffer zone´ extending across S. Lebanon

Katz also said that Israel would level houses and buildings in the zone, comparing it to actions in the Gaza Strip, and warned that Israeli forces would kill anyone deemed a Hezbollah member. Five divisions, alongside naval forces, are currently operating in Lebanese territory to establish what it calls a Forward Defense Line, aimed at thwarting direct threats to communities of northern Israel, the military said in a statement. The map includes a maritime segment off the Naqoura-Ras al-Bayada coastline, indicating a naval component. The buffer zone reaches north of key cities and towns including Bint Jbeil, Aita al-Shaab, and Khiam, and extends to the Litani River in some sectors, encompassing multiple villages and ridge lines. Lebanon and Syria have not accepted the move. Despite the ceasefire, Israeli forces intensified military operations in southern Lebanon on Sunday, according to Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA). In Bint Jbeil, forces continued demolishing homes to clear the security zone, with tanks patrolling the heavily devastated city. Troops also detonated houses in al-Bayada and al-Naqoura, blocked roads using earth mounds, and shelled the town of Kounine. There was no immediate Israeli comment. The map was released three days after Washington announced a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, which had been engaged in deadly fighting since early March. During a previous ceasefire that began in November 2024, Israel continued near-daily strikes in southern and eastern Lebanon. Meanwhile, the Israeli military said Sunday it killed Hezbollah's Bint Jbeil commander, Ali Rida Abbas, along with more than 150 members of the group in pre-ceasefire strikes during the 24 hours before a U.S.-mediated truce took effect. The military said Abbas was the fourth Hezbollah commander for the Bint Jbeil area killed by Israel since October 2023. It described Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon as a key frontline area for Hezbollah attacks. Abbas was considered one of the most senior officials in Hezbollah's armed wing and had survived Israeli strikes on the group's military leadership in 2024. There was no confirmation from Hezbollah. Separately, the military said one soldier was killed and nine others wounded during combat in southern Lebanon, where Israeli troops remain deployed despite the ceasefire. Israel's state-owned Kan TV reported the reservist was killed when a military bulldozer struck an explosive device planted by Hezbollah. The death marked the second Israeli military fatality since a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon took effect at midnight between Thursday and Friday local time (2100 GMT). Since six weeks of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah began in early March 2026 amid the Iran war, 15 Israeli soldiers have been killed, according to military figures. The military said it has killed about 1,800 Hezbollah members and struck 300 military infrastructure sites, including launchers, command centers, and weapons storage facilities across several areas in Lebanon. Despite the ceasefire, the Israeli military said it will continue to act to remove any threat to Israeli civilians and its soldiers.