Israel is expanding its use of firepower in southern Lebanon before moving ground forces, targeting sites and structures it says could pose a danger to its troops; a tactic Israeli media have reported is intended to reduce the risks faced by soldiers during operations.

According to Asharq Al-Awsat, the widening use of the tactic is raising questions over whether parts of southern Lebanon are entering a phase that could be described militarily as a form of “fire clearing” ahead of Israeli troop movements. Military assessments, however, distinguish between a change in battlefield tactics and a change in the rules governing the opening of fire, saying the current approach appears closer to selective, localized fire strikes designed to neutralize suspected threats before ground forces advance.

The concern is that if the practice expands, buildings and other infrastructure could increasingly be targeted on the basis of suspected threats alone.

The Israeli newspaper Maariv reported last week that the Northern Command had decided to change the way it deals with what it describes as Hezbollah threats, seeking to reduce the risks to maneuvering troops after soldiers were wounded in incidents involving explosions inside buildings, direct clashes and ambushes.

Selective fire clearing

Retired Brig. Gen. Khalil Gemayel, a former commander of the southern Litani sector, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Maariv report points to a shift in the Israeli military's operational approach — from confronting threats when they emerge to attempting to neutralize them before ground forces move.

Under this approach, he said, Israel is no longer relying solely on direct ground engagements but is using firepower to secure routes and areas through which its forces are expected to move or deploy. The targeting is based on direct surveillance as well as intelligence and battlefield assessments of locations that could pose a threat.

This could include areas that Israel does not actually occupy but over which it maintains fire control, such as Mansouri and Beit al-Siyad in the western sector, as well as the area around the Hadatha and Beit Yahoun heights, known by the Israeli military as the “Sylvester” heights. It could also extend to the towns of Sirbine, Ayta al-Jabal and Baraachit in the central sector, areas around the Ali al-Taher heights north of the Litani River, and any potential threats within the buffer zone currently under Israeli operational control.

The same approach could eventually be applied to areas designated as pilot zones, Gemayel said.

He stressed that this did not necessarily amount to a transition to comprehensive fire clearing in its traditional military sense — the intensive and systematic use of firepower across a broad geographical area or an entire sector.

Instead, he described it as “selective and localized fire clearing” linked directly to the movement and operational requirements of Israeli forces.

The tactic also reflects Israel's increasing reliance on artillery, armored vehicles and air power to limit direct ground contact and reduce potential casualties among its troops, Gemayel said.

The more serious risk, he added, is that such pre-emptive fire could become a permanent part of the Israeli military's movement and deployment procedures in southern Lebanon.

That could widen the scope of targeting, allowing buildings and infrastructure to be destroyed merely because they are suspected of presenting a threat, or potentially providing a justification for deliberate demolitions under the banner of military and security requirements.

No change in rules of engagement

Retired Brig. Gen. Said Qozah, however, draws a distinction between a change in battlefield tactics and any change in the rules governing the use of force.

He said the developments in southern Lebanon reflected an effort to reduce the exposure of Israeli troops to danger rather than a fundamental change in the rules of engagement.

In the past, he said, Israeli forces would send patrols or soldiers to inspect and verify suspicious locations on the ground. But following incidents in which troops suffered casualties — including an incident in Majdal Zoun involving the explosion of a booby-trapped structure — the military appears to have adopted a policy of avoiding the direct deployment of personnel to suspicious sites and instead dealing with them through firepower or unmanned reconnaissance systems.

That could include the use of mobile robots capable of entering homes or other suspected locations to inspect them, he said.

The principal change, therefore, is in the method of dealing with suspected threats, providing greater protection for soldiers and reducing the likelihood of casualties.

Qozah said forces operating in a combat zone naturally treat any indication of danger as a potential threat, even before determining whether it represents a genuine danger. Their response can therefore be rapid and directed at the suspected source, with the intensity depending on the nature and scale of the threat and its proximity to their positions.

The response could begin with direct fire and escalate, if necessary, to heavier support weapons, including artillery, aircraft and drones, depending on the assessment of troops on the ground and the severity of the perceived threat.

Such measures are part of the responses soldiers train to use in combat and fall within established rules governing the opening of fire, he said. A perceived danger or suspected threat can prompt forces to act quickly against its source.

The approach becomes more stringent at night, Qozah added, when the ability to visually verify targets is more limited and troops are therefore more cautious about any movement or object suspected of involving armed personnel or posing a threat.

Israeli operations continue across the south

The Israeli military has continued operations against towns and villages across southern Lebanon, with artillery fire, ground movements and heavy machine-gun fire reported in several areas.

Since the early hours of Sunday, Israeli fire has targeted the Wadi al-Saluki area from the direction of Touline and Majdal Selm. Strikes and shelling also hit Kfar Roummane, the outskirts of Mansouri and Beit al-Siyad, as well as the river area near the outskirts of Zawtar al-Sharqiya and Zawtar al-Gharbiya.

Around midday, Israeli fire targeted Mansouri and the outskirts of Hadatha and Beit Yahoun, accompanied by heavy machine-gun fire. An Apache helicopter also swept the outskirts of Zawtar al-Sharqiya with heavy machine guns, while an Israeli force accompanied by a D9 bulldozer advanced toward the riverbed in the direction of Zawtar al-Gharbiya.

Later, the Israeli military carried out a large explosion in Houla, while an Israeli force moved toward the outskirts of Mais al-Jabal amid artillery fire that struck a house and heavy machine-gun fire. A drone also dropped a sound grenade at the entrance to Sirbine in the Bint Jbeil district.

In the western sector, Israeli artillery targeted Mansouri, while Israeli forces dropped illumination flares over the Aita al-Jabal forest in an apparent attempt to ignite fires. The forest and Beit Yahoun were subsequently hit by several heavy shells.

In the central sector, Israeli forces continued setting fire to residents' property in Hadatha, with large areas of olive groves burned, according to Lebanon's National News Agency.