Israel says it strikes southern Lebanon towns tied to earlier war fighting
The Israeli military said it hit Zawtar al-Sharqiya and Kafr Tibnit as Netanyahu doubles down on threats to Iran and Hezbollah
Published
The Israeli military said it carried out two raids on Monday in southern Lebanon, hitting the towns of Zawtar al-Sharqiya and Kafr Tibnit.
Both towns saw heavy fighting earlier in the 2026 Lebanon War. Zawtar al-Sharqiya was the site of a major battle in May 2026, when Israeli forces occupied the town and seized nearby Beaufort Castle, according to Wikipedia. Kfar Tebnit has also been a repeated flashpoint: the IDF said in June 2026 that four soldiers of its 401st Brigade, including a Lieutenant-Colonel, were killed there when Hezbollah struck their tank, and a municipal official in the town was killed by an Israeli drone strike in April 2026, according to Anadolu Agency.
Netanyahu said at his campaign launch that Israel must topple the Iranian regime, language he has used before when speaking about Hamas and Hezbollah.
The renewed strikes come as military chiefs from the United States, Israel and Arab allies meet on Iran strategy, and as Netanyahu has publicly committed to eliminating Hamas alongside his call to topple Tehran's government. Continued Israeli action in southern Lebanon raises the risk of a wider clash with Hezbollah, pushing the conflict closer to a broader regional confrontation rather than a series of contained operations.