RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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A Hezbollah strike hit an Israeli armored bulldozer stationed in the IDF's south Lebanon buffer zone overnight, in violation of the ongoing truce, the military said Wednesday.
The unmanned engineering vehicle was hit in the Ali Taher Ridge area by an explosive drone belonging to the terror group, the army said. The explosion did not result in any injuries.
It marked the first Hezbollah attack since the framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon took effect in late June, and as Israeli and Lebanese negotiators were slated to meet for follow-up talks next week in Rome.
The countries have been discussing an Israeli withdrawal from the buffer zone, the disarmament of Hezbollah and an eventual peace agreement.
“This is a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon by the Hezbollah terror organization,” the IDF said.
The Iran-backed terror group has a massive underground complex under the ridge, near Nabatieh, and the IDF estimates that dozens of operatives are holed up in the area.
However, because of the ceasefire agreement, the IDF has been prevented from capturing the underground passages beneath the ridge.
Israel was deliberating a response to the violation of the ceasefire, security officials said Wednesday. The army added that its forces “continue to operate in the ridge area and will not allow terrorists in the area to advance or carry out terror attacks against IDF troops.”
Israel told mediators that it would not agree to additional withdrawals from territory in southern Lebanon in the Rome talks, Channel 12 reported Wednesday.
The June deal called for the Lebanese military to deploy in areas in southern Lebanon where Hezbollah had previously held a military presence and influence, paving the way for Israel to withdraw from the buffer zone it holds in the south.
Wednesday's report said, however, that until Hezbollah is disarmed, Israel is halting further pullouts south of the so-called “yellow line” that marks the buffer zone. The terror group has rejected disarmament and opposes the Israel-Lebanon talks.
“The additional areas will not be on our side, in the defense lines that we have stabilized,” an Israeli official told the outlet.
“If the current pilot is successful and additional pilot areas are decided upon later, they will be beyond the yellow line. We will not allow further withdrawals of the area on our side. Until Hezbollah is disarmed in Lebanon — that is what was agreed upon," the official said.
Technical teams from each side will meet from August 4 to August 6 and focus on advancing the implementation of the framework agreement, meant to lead to an eventual peace deal between Israel and Lebanon.
The army continued to operate in southern Lebanon in the meantime, announcing Wednesday that it demolished an underground Hezbollah command center that had been built beneath a construction material factory near a peacekeeper post.
During operations in the village of Haddatha, inside the IDF’s south Lebanon buffer zone, troops uncovered a tunnel that was 55 meters (180 feet) long, the military said.
The tunnel featured three rooms, and was used by Hezbollah as a command center. It was built beneath a construction material factory and located some 300 meters (1,000 feet) from a UNIFIL building, according to the army.
Nearby, troops also located a pit with dozens of weapons in it, the IDF added. Combat engineers blew up the tunnel this week.
רקטות, טילי נ”ט ומטענים: כוחות צה”ל ממשיכים בפעילות לאיתור והשמדת אמצעי לחימה בדרום לבנון
כוחות אוגדה 91 מרכזים כעת מאמץ לאיתור והשמדת אמצעי לחימה של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה שנותרו במרחב הביטחוני. במסגרת כך, בימים האחרונים אותרו עשרות אמצעי לחימה.
במהלך הימים האחרונים, לוחמי… pic.twitter.com/7r0UFKOJzx
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) July 29, 2026
Earlier this week, Israeli troops fired on a suspect who approached them in southern Lebanon earlier this week, the IDF said Wednesday, confirming earlier reports. Lebanese media reported on Monday that Shadi Hussayan al-Darwish was shot dead by Israeli forces between Mansouri and Ras al-Bayada in the Tyre area.
The IDF said a suspect was identified in the Ras al-Bayada area, approaching troops “in a manner that posed a threat.”
Troops fired “warning shots in an attempt to distance him,” and after he “continued advancing toward the soldiers and failed to comply with their calls, they fired toward him in order to remove the threat,” the IDF said.
Soldiers operating in the south Lebanon buffer zone also captured Hezbollah weapons, including assault rifles, RPGs, explosive devices, and other equipment, the military added.
The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident – ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded – I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.
There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.
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