Israeli Forces Cross Lebanon’s Litani River as Pentagon Hosts Military Talks
Israeli troops on Friday crossed the strategic Litani River and advanced to positions near the city of Nabatieh, escalating attacks against Hezbollah fighters.
The Israeli moves came as Washington hosted direct military talks between Lebanese and Israeli delegations at the Pentagon to discuss the details of a US-brokered peace plan to resolve the conflict.
Israeli Advancement
Israeli ground forces entered the southern village of Dibbine, near the town of Marjayoun, early Friday as airstrikes killed at least six people. Strikes also targeted several villages in the same district, including Qabrikha, Majdal Selem, and Tuline, reported Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA).
Additionally, an airstrike on the villages of Deir Qanoun al Nahr and Abbasiyeh killed five people, while a municipal policeman was killed in the village of Ebba.
The Israeli military announced it was expanding a security zone it had maintained as a de facto boundary since a US-brokered ceasefire took effect on April 17. It issued several evacuation orders for villages in southern Lebanon, forcing hundreds of families to flee their homes.
Crossing Litani River
Israel stated that it had crossed the Litani River, which runs east-west roughly 30 km (19 miles) north of the Israeli border.
Lebanese security sources told Reuters that Israeli forces had crossed the strategic river near the village of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah on Thursday but retreated to the southern bank of the river later in the day.
Then, ground troops crossed back over the Litani again on Friday but it was not a major advance, the sources said, adding that it occurred along an eastern stretch of the river that runs close to the Israeli border.
Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir said that Israeli troops would continue pursuing Hezbollah “launch squads” and their operators and commanders at every level.
“Our forces have crossed the Litani and advanced to controlling positions,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told military personnel on Friday.
“We are operating in Beirut, in the Bekaa, across the entire width of the front, and we are dealing Hezbollah a crushing blow,” he added, referring to Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley and Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Lebanon-Israel Military Talks
The Israeli advance took place as the Pentagon hosted military talks between officials from Lebanon and Israel in Washington to launch the security track that supports military-to-military communication and coordination.
In a statement, Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby hailed the talks as “productive,” adding that they focused on “building practical frameworks for regional security and stability.”
“The progress and tangible outcomes from these discussions will directly inform the Department of State-led political track, which is scheduled to reconvene next week,” the statement said.
The meeting followed two days of direct talks on May 14-15, which culminated in the announcement of a 45-day extension of the ceasefire and a new round of talks on June 2-3 to advance a peace deal.
Lebanon’s Demands
A senior Lebanese military official told the Associated Press (AP) that the Lebanese delegation would ask for the reactivation of the monitoring committee of a previous US-brokered ceasefire that halted Hezbollah-Israel fighting in November 2024.
Meanwhile, another official said that the delegation would demand the comprehensive implementation of the ceasefire and holding talks on issues such as deploying the Lebanese army along the border and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon.
Ceasefire First
Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun reiterated the importance of implementing the ceasefire as a prerequisite for moving forward with the next stages in negotiations.
In a phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Aoun said that efforts should focus on implementing the ceasefire as it is “the essential entry point for transitioning to any other step and the necessary pathway to pave the ground for addressing the various files and issues at hand.”
Rubio, for his part, reaffirmed the US’ commitment to continuing its efforts to consolidate the outcomes of previous Washington meetings, and to supporting Lebanon’s stability, independence, and sovereignty over its entire territory, as well as its natural and full right to determine its own destiny.
Lebanon Caught in the Crossfire
Lebanon has been dragged into the US-Israeli war with Iran following Hezbollah‘s decision to join the fighting on March 2, 2026, in retaliation to the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Israel responded by launching heavy airstrikes and ground operations into southern Lebanon, seizing control of large swaths of the country.
The US has mediated to end the fighting in parallel to broader diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict with Iran, which insists on including Lebanon in any deal with Washington.
The conflict in Lebanon has so far killed over 3,200 people and injured more than 9,700 others, according to Lebanese Health Ministry’s data. The war has also displaced more than a million people.
