Israeli Escalation in Southern Lebanon: Incursion into Majdal Zoun for the First Time Since 2000, Hezbollah Responds with Drones

Israeli occupation forces intensified their military aggression on wide areas in southern Lebanon this Sunday morning, with artillery shelling targeting the Qatrani area, part of Jezzine. This coincided with intense aerial raids that targeted the town of Al-Sraira after midnight, resulting in widespread destruction of homes and properties and large fires in agricultural lands, while local residents miraculously escaped death.

In a significant field development, field sources reported the incursion of Israeli army units into the town of Majdal Zoun in the Tyre district, marking the first time occupation forces have reached this point since their withdrawal in 2000. This incursion was accompanied by intense air cover, including raids on Mansouri, Qleileh, and Hosh Tyre, reflecting the occupation's desire to expand the scope of ground operations.

Regarding human casualties, two people were martyred at dawn today after an Israeli drone targeted a 'pickup' vehicle traveling on the road to the town of Mseileh. This incident comes in the context of systematic targeting of vehicles and movements on main roads in the south, with raids also hitting the town of Haris and the Maamoura and Abbasiyah areas with successive strikes.

In response, Hezbollah announced a series of military operations in response to the Israeli incursion and shelling, targeting gatherings of occupation soldiers and vehicles in the town of Majdal Zoun with a concentrated rocket barrage. The party also confirmed in an official statement the targeting of a military site in the town of Houla using kamikaze drones that accurately hit their targets, as part of a strategy to counter attempts at ground advancement.

For its part, Israeli media acknowledged the downing of two drones launched by Hezbollah in the Ras Naqoura area of Western Galilee, after sirens sounded in border settlements. The occupation army indicated that it had opened an investigation into the failure of air defense systems to intercept the two drones, which crossed the border and fell inside the occupied territories without reports of injuries.

Politically, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for intensifying military strikes and implementing what he described as the 'Dahieh doctrine' by destroying residential buildings in Beirut. Smotrich considered that the continued shelling from Lebanon towards northern towns represents a test of the threats issued by Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding widespread retaliatory responses that go beyond current lines.

Human rights reports indicate that the toll of the ongoing Israeli aggression since last March has risen to 3,711 martyrs and over 11,000 injured. Medical and field sources also recorded the martyrdom of 30 Lebanese army personnel during this period, the latest of whom was a soldier who sustained serious injuries after being targeted by a drone in the city of Nabatieh yesterday.

Also in the field, occupation forces continued their scorched-earth policy by carrying out extensive demolition operations in the border town of Khiam, coinciding with the issuance of evacuation warnings to residents of more than 20 southern towns. Israeli military orders demanded residents immediately move north of the Zahrani River, in a step aimed at displacing the remaining residents and emptying the border area.

Saturday had witnessed a bloody escalation that resulted in the martyrdom of 5 people, including the mayor of the town of Al-Rihan, following a series of more than 30 raids targeting southern villages. The resistance then responded by targeting engineering vehicles and military bulldozers of the 'Yaghi' and 'Nemira' types using 'Ababil' drones, achieving direct hits on advancing forces at the outskirts of the villages.

These rapid developments come at a time when diplomatic circles are awaiting the results of indirect negotiations between the United States and Iran regarding a comprehensive de-escalation agreement. According to informed sources, Tehran stipulates that any imminent agreement must include guarantees related to the Lebanese file and an end to the aggression on the south, to include the Gulf states and Israel within the framework of a regional settlement.

In light of this complex reality, southern Lebanon remains an arena for an open confrontation where field calculations intertwine with international political pressures. With the continued incursion into new points such as Majdal Zoun, fears are growing of the situation sliding into an all-out war that is not limited to border villages, but extends to include the Lebanese interior and vital facilities in implementation of repeated Israeli threats.

The shelling towards northern towns is a test of the Dahieh doctrine announced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.