Sources : Middle East Eye, Al Manar, porte-parole IDF, bureau de presse UNIFIL, Reuters, AP
The ground
On March 2, 2026, the November 2024 ceasefire collapsed. Since then, IDF operations in southern Lebanon have shifted from an interdiction logic toward the systematic demolition of settlements in the border strip. The IDF has designated over twenty villages — including Markaba, Houla, and Rab al-Thalathine — for what military communiqués describe as "structural leveling." Heavy engineering units operate in direct support of maneuver forces. The World Bank has estimated damage to residential buildings at $2.8 billion.
Taybeh: ambush on an armored convoy
The most documented friction point of this phase is the Taybeh area, in the Bint Jbeil sector. According to al-Manar communiqués and statements from Hezbollah's military spokesperson, Hezbollah forces conducted a coordinated operation against a Merkava tank convoy in the al-Baydar al-Faqani area. Hezbollah claims the destruction of eight Merkava tanks through guided anti-tank missiles and artillery. The IDF did not confirm the number but acknowledged "heavy fighting" in the area and the serious wounding of the commander of the 52nd Armored Battalion.
The primary source for the tank count is Hezbollah itself — this figure has not been independently verified.
In the same operation, Hezbollah units targeted evacuation landing zones with artillery and FPV drones during casualty evacuations. This interdiction tactic against evacuation zones is documented in UNIFIL reports dated April 9 and 10, 2026.
Tayr Harfa and the 13th Golani Battalion
At Tayr Harfa, Hezbollah fighters ambushed a patrol of the 13th Battalion (Golani) inside an infiltrated building. The IDF confirmed casualties. Hezbollah communiqués describe the operation as carried out by a cell from the western sector of south Lebanon. Among the Israeli fatalities was, according to Israeli sources cited by Haaretz, a civilian archaeologist attached to the brigade commander.
Airspace: Hermes 450 drone downed
On April 10, Hezbollah shot down a Hermes 450 drone over Siddiqin. The IDF confirmed the loss of the aircraft without specifying the cause. Hezbollah claimed the kill using a man-portable surface-to-air missile system. An Apache helicopter broke off engagement over Mansouri in the same timeframe, according to Hezbollah's military spokesperson, with no IDF confirmation.
FPV drone swarms against northern bases
Hezbollah conducted swarm attacks with FPV drones against the Ramot Naftali barracks. The IDF Northern Command acknowledged the attacks and confirmed damage to base infrastructure. No casualty figures were made public. The large-scale use of FPV drones in this context is also documented in a report by the Alma Research and Education Center published on April 12.
April 8: "Eternal Darkness"
On April 8, fifty IAF combat aircraft struck one hundred targets within ten minutes across the Beirut metropolitan area and southern Lebanon. The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health reported 357 dead and 1,223 wounded for that single day. Among the dead was Ali Yusuf Harshi, personal secretary and nephew of Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem. The IDF designated the operation under the code name "Eternal Darkness."
UNIFIL: documented incidents
On April 12, a Merkava tank deliberately rammed UNIFIL vehicles at Bayada. On April 15, at Naqoura, Israeli forces blocked local contractors transporting supplies to international contingents, allowing passage only to vehicles bearing direct UN markings. The UNIFIL press office issued a formal written protest to the IDF in both cases.
The diplomatic front
Since March 2, the Aoun-Salam government has adopted the "Homeland Shield Plan," formalizing the ban on Hezbollah's military activities and opening direct negotiations in Washington between Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad and Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter, mediated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. On April 13, Naim Qassem released a public statement accusing the Lebanese government of acting as "a tool of Israeli pressure." The full text is available on al-Manar.
The Pakistan-mediated truce between the United States and Iran, brokered in Islamabad, expires on April 22. Iran has conditioned the lifting of the Strait of Hormuz blockade on Lebanon's inclusion in any regional ceasefire agreement.