Israel has broadened its ground invasion of Lebanon in the south of the country, while putting forward the possibility of holding on to the newly occupied Lebanese land.
Israel's military spokesman Lt Col Nadav Shoshani said such a move is “to be determined” and “depends on future planning and where things go from here”. Israel’s military said earlier that the new manoeuvres in Lebanon aimed to expand a “forward defence area”.
It claimed it was doing so to destroy Hezbollah infrastructure and create “an additional layer of security” for its people – but its actions in Lebanon have not spared civilians, with strikes on areas outside Hezbollah's control and influence.
Israel's latest advance into southern Lebanon has sparked fears across communities that displaced residents will not be able to return home.
“I can’t explain the feeling of living far away from a place so close to my heart. It’s like a part of you is missing,” Merhej Shamma told The National. Mr Shamma, who is in his late 60s, is a native of the Christian-majority town of Deir Mimas, not far from the border. He fled the recent violence and is now in the coastal city of Saida.
Deir Mimas has largely been spared from the Israeli bombs, but most of its inhabitants have left after Israel warned residents to leave the southern region.
Mr Shamma fears Israeli troops may once again occupy the region, preventing him from going back to the house where he grew up. Eighteen years of Israeli occupation had already separated Mr Shamma from Deir Mimas, to which he returned hours after Israeli troops withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000. He never thought he would live through displacement again. “I miss my village so much,” he said.
Israel's defence minister on Monday said the country will prevent the return of “hundreds of thousands of Shiite residents of southern Lebanon … and Beirut”.
He also said Israel would destroy “terror infrastructure” in villages on the Lebanese border, “just as was done against Hamas in Gaza in the areas of Rafah and Beit Hanoun” – two of the areas hit hardest by Israel’s war on the enclave.
The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon (Unifil) has observed a build-up of Israeli army troops near the Lebanese border, said spokeswoman Kandice Ardiel.
"We are seeing concentrations of troops in at least half a dozen locations near the Blue Line in Lebanese territory. We are hearing clashes around Khiam and Al Adeisse," she said.
Israel declared a buffer zone on March 3 and has escalated attacks since Hezbollah joined Iran in the war against the US and Israel. At least 850 people have been killed and more than 2,100 injured in Israeli attacks on Lebanon, the Health Ministry said on Sunday.
Negotiations 'under fire'
Lebanon said it was ready to engage in unprecedented direct talks with Israel as it scrambles to stop Israel's devastating war. French President Emmanuel Macron has proposed hosting the talks in Paris, warning that “everything must be done to prevent Lebanon descending into chaos”.
Two sources familiar with the efforts told The National that Lebanese authorities are seeking a temporary ceasefire before entering wider negotiations with Israel under international sponsorship.
Possible concessions from Lebanon include establishing some form of accord with Israel, they said. Their exact shape is unclear, but it would stop short of full diplomatic relations, they added. Ties with Israel, a long-standing enemy, have long been taboo in Lebanon, and a divisive issue in a fractured country.
“Lebanese officials appear open to discussing border demarcation and possibly some form of neutrality or a non-aggression pact, but not full normalisation – it's not on the table as of now,” one source said.
The sources said Israel has not yet responded to Lebanon's opening. “Israel’s strategy appears to be one of pressure, combining military operations with efforts to push the Lebanese government to act,” the second source said.
A Lebanese official said on Monday that Lebanon has not received any response from Israel on the talks. Israel is pursuing a “negotiations under fire” strategy, and “it is unclear where it intends to stop, but it will likely try to accumulate as much leverage as possible before any negotiations begin”, the second source added.
Both sources said that any real de-escalation on the ground was still a long way off. This has been reflected on both sides of the battlefield, as Israel continues to strike across Lebanon and Hezbollah launches rockets into northern Israel.
In recent days, heavy ground battles between Hezbollah and Israeli forces have been concentrated around the strategically important city of Khiam, a vital gateway between the front line and deeper Lebanese territory.
'Insufficient efforts'
The Lebanese state has firmly condemned Hezbollah’s decision to join the war with Iran. Earlier this month, it banned the group’s military and security activities, and began arresting some of its militants in an unprecedented effort to curb the group’s influence. But the US has viewed these efforts as insufficient, diplomatic sources have previously told The National.
The move came as part of a broader effort of the Lebanese state to disarm Hezbollah since a ceasefire in November 2024. In January, Lebanese army commander Gen Rodolphe Haykal said the army had cleared all Hezbollah military infrastructure south of the Litani River and sent thousands of Lebanese soldiers into the area.
Meanwhile, Israel has breached the truce thousands of times, striking Lebanon on a daily basis and killing dozens of civilians. Several sources told The National that Israel plans a long-term incursion in Lebanon, potentially lasting longer than the war with Iran.
“The belief is that the war in Lebanon, with its focus on Hezbollah, will take more time than the war in Iran, the reason being it is not only air strikes that are needed, but ground infiltration and holding on to key positions around the border,” an official briefed on the Israeli operation had said.
On Monday, Unifil peacekeepers said they were fired at by “non-state armed groups” on three occasions while carrying out patrols near their bases. Unifil did not specify which group it was referring to. Two patrols returned fire in “self-defence” and, after a brief exchange of fire, normal activities were resumed, it added.
“It is unacceptable that peacekeepers performing Security Council-mandated tasks be targeted,” Unifil said in a statement. “Any attack on Unifil peacekeepers constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law and of Resolution 1701 and may amount to a war crime.”
As the regional war rages, Israel is considering terminating the natural gas maritime border agreement with the Lebanese government owing to a “failure to thwart terrorist attacks carried out from its territory”, Israeli Energy and Infrastructure Minister Eli Cohen said.
“It is a terrible, illegitimate agreement,” he said. “Thus, I maintain that we should act to cancel the gas pact. This subject is also being discussed in the cabinet.
“This was no agreement. It was a letter of surrender because, from all of the allegedly disputed territory, the state of Israel didn’t receive anything. Lebanon gained everything on a vague condition that certainly didn’t materialise, regarding enhanced security [to Israel].”
