Israel advances in south Lebanon as army withdraws, Quds leader killed
Israel said it killed Reza Khazaei, chief of staff of Hezbollah’s Lebanese Corps within Iran’s elite Quds Force, in a naval strike.
BEIRUT — Lebanese troops withdrew from multiple southern border posts on Tuesday after the Israeli military started to advance further inside Lebanese territory.
What happened: The Lebanese army evacuated “advanced positions” along Israel's border and deployed to other positions, Lebanon’s state-run news agency said on Tuesday after Israel ordered its troops to advance further into southern Lebanon.
Local Lebanese outlets reported that Israeli forces carried out several incursions, while eyewitnesses told Reuters that at least seven forward positions along the border were evacuated. According to L’Orient Today, the Lebanese forces left positions in the towns of Aita al-Shaab, Qouzah, Dibil, Ramieh, Ain Ibl and Rmeish in the Bint Jbeil district and withdrew toward their headquarters in Aitit. Israel already had already maintained control of five sites in southern Lebanon after the last war that ended with a ceasefire in November 2024.
According to a Lebanese security source who spoke to Al Jazeera, Israeli forces advanced into the southern towns of Kfarkela and Qouzah, though the Lebanese military has not officially confirmed or commented on these reports.
