Lebanese Army Withdraws as Israeli Troops Advance
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Lebanese Army withdrew troops from its barracks in Kfar Tebnit on Saturday June 13, 2026, after Israeli forces pushed into the area, a senior military official told the AP on condition of anonymity.
- Israeli military issued evacuation warnings for about 20 locations including the southern city of Nabatiyeh; Lebanese state media reported airstrikes killed two people in Deir al-Zahrani and Nabatiyeh was hit with artillery shelling.
- Israeli troops were likely trying to capture the strategic Ali Taher hill on the edge of Kfar Tebnit, which overlooks parts of Nabatiyeh and was held by Israel for 18 years until its May 2000 withdrawal from Lebanon.
- Israel's military appears to be making as many gains as possible before a US-Iran agreement ends the regional war — a deal Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said will cover 'all fronts, including Lebanon.'
- Pakistan's prime minister said the US and Iran have agreed to wording of an agreement to end the Middle East war, and senior Hezbollah official Hussein Haj Hassan told Al Jazeera that Iranian officials informed them Lebanon will be part of a future ceasefire.
- In late May, Israeli troops captured the strategically positioned Beaufort Castle mountain — the deepest incursion into Lebanon since 2000 — and on Saturday an Israeli drone seriously wounded a Lebanese soldier traveling between Nabatiyeh and Kfar Rumman.
- Since the April 17 ceasefire took effect (described as 'a ceasefire in name only'), more than 3,700 people have been killed in Lebanon, 30 Israeli soldiers and a defense contractor have been killed in or near southern Lebanon, and two civilians have been killed in northern Israel.
Why it matters: Israel's push on Ali Taher hill — which it held for 18 years until 2000 — coincides with the US and Iran reportedly finalizing a deal to end the war 'on all fronts, including Lebanon.' With the April 17 ceasefire already a dead letter and over 3,700 Lebanese killed since March 2, Israel is consolidating ground in southern Lebanon before diplomacy freezes the lines.
