{"id":99410,"date":"2026-05-05T20:35:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T20:35:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/99410\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T20:35:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T20:35:23","slug":"defending-from-the-goal-line-isnt-enough-idf-entrenches-grip-in-southern-lebanon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/99410\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Defending from the goal line isn’t enough’: IDF entrenches grip in southern Lebanon"},"content":{"rendered":"

RAS AL-BAYADA, Lebanon \u2014 Israeli flags and razed structures dotted the coastal road in southern Lebanon, as journalists were taken to one of the army\u2019s deepest positions in its new \u201csecurity zone.\u201d<\/p>\n

The tranquillity of the stormy waves crashing into the rocky coast amid a downpour was broken by an alert of a Hezbollah drone attack targeting the Israeli military in the Ras al-Bayada headland, located around eight kilometers (5 miles) north of Israel\u2019s border, and just south of the coastal Lebanese city of Tyre.<\/p>\n

\u201cAir Hammer,\u201d the Israel Defense Forces\u2019 code for a drone attack, was heard over the radio. \u201cThere\u2019s an enemy drone here,\u201d one soldier said, as reporters were rushed into the lightly armored vehicles that brought us into Lebanon and escorted back to Israel.<\/p>\n

Hezbollah later claimed to have targeted several Israeli military vehicles in Ras al-Bayada. The IDF reported that several explosive drones and anti-tank missiles targeted forces across southern Lebanon, but with no injuries caused.<\/p>\n

Despite a (somewhat defunct) ceasefire, the troops stationed in southern Lebanon have been dealing with daily Hezbollah attacks, mostly first-person view (FPV)<\/a> drones, but at times also rocket fire and anti-tank guided missiles.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt really is a challenge,\u201d said Col. \u201cAleph,\u201d the commander of the IDF\u2019s 226th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade, when asked about Hezbollah\u2019s FPV drones. \u201cIt is an operational challenge, like other operational challenges we have here in the area, like the anti-tank and the rockets. This is part of war.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tIsraeli military vehicles drive along the coastal road in southern Lebanon, May 5, 2026. (Emanuel Fabian\/Times of Israel)<\/p>\n

The brigade commander said that the reason for the military\u2019s deployment deep into southern Lebanon was to ensure that only troops face these threats, not civilians.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are here so that this will not be a tangible threat on the home front. And we are dealing here with this threat, and it is mainly, mainly directed at us,\u201d he told reporters.<\/p>\n

Stretching east to west, Israel\u2019s new south Lebanon security zone<\/a> runs 5-10 km (3-5 miles) deep from the border into Lebanese territory, covering an area where the IDF has been razing entire villages, as instructed by Defense Minister Israel Katz, to prevent Hezbollah from using the area to stage attacks.<\/p>\n

Even eight kilometers deep at Ras al-Bayada, the IDF has been destroying structures, which it said were used by Hezbollah.<\/p>\n

Senior officers described to reporters that their forces discovered massive amounts of weapons inside homes in the coastal Lebanese villages, and the IDF on Tuesday reported destroying five Hezbollah tunnels in the area.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tAn Israeli soldier stands next to the coastal road in southern Lebanon, with Tyre visible in the background, May 5, 2026. (Emanuel Fabian\/Times of Israel)<\/p>\n

According to the paratroopers officer, Hezbollah has been attempting to send reinforcements to southern Lebanon to replace the hundreds of operatives who have been killed during the fighting in recent weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are certain forces that are really trying to get close, but every time they get close, they are hit, and I hear their spirit breaking. I hear it, I know it, and when [their spirit] breaks, they also try to flee,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

How long Israel would remain in the new security zone was a question none of the officers could answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cDefending from the goal line, or the line of the communities, sometimes isn\u2019t enough,\u201d the battalion commander said. \u201cAnd we can\u2019t let big problems grow.\u201d<\/p>\n


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