Repeated Israeli incursions into southeastern Lebanon’s Arkoub region are raising fears that Israel is seeking to expand its control over Lebanese territory and impose further restrictions on residents, as military operations, home searches and road construction reshape the border area, according to local representatives and military analysts cited by Asharq Al-Awsat.

In a statement published on Saturday, the Arkoub People’s Committee reported Israeli incursions, changes to the landscape and road construction in the towns of Kfarshouba , Shebaa, Hebbariyeh and Halta, which lie on the western slopes of Mount Hermon near the borders with Israel and Syria.

The warning followed repeated Israeli operations in the area, including searches of homes in Kfarshouba last week.

The committee cautioned against a repeat of what it described as past failures that led to the occupation of the Shebaa Farms and the Kfarshouba Hills, accusing successive Lebanese authorities and governments of failing to act or ignoring the issue.

It called for urgent intervention by the Arab League, the United Nations and the U.N. Security Council to halt what it described as Israeli aggression, incursions and renewed attempts to seize Lebanese territory.

The operations come amid months of continued Israeli activity in southern Lebanon’s border villages, particularly in areas that remain unoccupied but lie adjacent to what Israel calls the “Yellow Line.”

Retired Brig. Gen. Khalil Gemayel told Asharq Al-Awsat that the incursions have military, operational and security objectives that go beyond searches for weapons or facilities belonging to Hezbollah. The entry of Israeli troops into Kfarshouba and nearby villages, along with searches of homes, should not be viewed as a passing military maneuver or a limited security operation, he said.

Gemayel identified three interconnected objectives behind the operations: expanding Israel’s freedom of movement and reconnaissance, establishing a new security reality on the ground, and placing pressure on residents to prevent a return to normal life.

By entering village outskirts, advancing between homes and searching properties, Israeli forces can gather direct intelligence about the terrain, roads, access routes and residents, he said. The operations also allow them to assess the feasibility of future movements through wooded and built-up areas and identify locations they consider militarily significant.

The operations also appear aimed at removing physical features of the villages and clearing vegetation, Gemayel said, under the stated rationale of preventing Hezbollah from rebuilding its military capabilities near Israeli troop positions.

Israel is also seeking to impose a new security reality, he said. Rather than relying solely on elevated positions and fixed military outposts on commanding hills stretching from the Mediterranean coast to Mount Hermon, which help shield northern Israeli communities, Israel is attempting to expand its ability to conduct repeated ground operations across a wider area.

This would give Israeli forces greater freedom to move and intervene, Gemayel said, although it does not necessarily mean Israel has decided to advance and occupy additional villages.

Instead, he said, the operations point to an effort to control and monitor the forward border area according to Israel’s security interests, effectively creating a buffer zone controlled through military force. Within such an area, Israel could apply what Gemayel described as a doctrine of flexible defense beyond its fixed defensive lines and occupied positions.

The third objective is to pressure residents and obstruct the restoration of normal life, he said. Home searches, restrictions on movement and the prevention of farmers from reaching their land are keeping dozens of unoccupied villages under security, economic and social pressure.

Farmers and shepherds in Kfarshouba and Halta, in particular, face restrictions on access to their land and grazing areas, Gemayel said.

He stressed the importance of distinguishing between limited military incursions intended for searches, reconnaissance or assessments of conditions on the ground and advances designed to establish broader control. The latter would be indicated by the construction of permanent positions, the securing of supply routes and an expanded military deployment, he said.

The repeated operations and their widening scope raise serious concerns, Gemayel warned, particularly if they gradually establish a reality that becomes difficult to reverse.

The threat, he added, extends beyond the locations where Israeli troops are deployed to include efforts to control residents’ movements and daily lives in Lebanese villages bordering Israel’s buffer zone, potentially imposing a new security and geographical reality.

Israeli operations tied to negotiations and elections

Retired Brig. Gen. George Nader also described the repeated Israeli incursions into southern Lebanese villages, including the latest operation in Kfarshouba and searches of several homes, as more than limited or random military activity.

The operations are a prelude to strengthening Israel’s military control and expanding its reach inside Lebanese territory, Nader told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Israel is seeking to seize additional land and establish new facts on the ground, he said, either to improve its negotiating position after Israel’s elections or to prepare for further military operations in areas extending beyond the Litani River.

Nader said Israel had effectively taken the freedom to conduct military operations in southern Lebanon without anyone granting it that authority and was now acting on the assumption that no force could stop it.

The United States remains the only party capable of exerting meaningful pressure to curb Israeli operations, he said. However, Washington’s approach to Israel remains unclear, particularly as the U.S. administration focuses on the midterm elections, which are among its current priorities.

Israel is exploiting this political environment to expand its control over occupied areas and strengthen its military influence in surrounding territory, Nader said, adding that it would not hesitate to widen its operations whenever the opportunity arose.

The developments in southern Lebanon are also linked to domestic political calculations in Israel, he said, with the Lebanon file becoming an issue used by candidates and parties to compete for support.

Incursions seen as a prelude to wider control

Nader said the Israeli incursion into Kfarshouba and the searches of homes could be linked to intelligence suggesting the presence of armed men or Hezbollah members in the area, or information about their possible movements.

The searches may therefore be based on security information that Israeli forces believe warrants intervention on the ground, he said.

But the broader implications of the incursions extend beyond the immediate security objectives Israel might publicly cite, Nader argued.

The operations are a prelude to strengthening military control, he said, adding that Israeli forces do not carry out random maneuvers and that each operation is planned in advance with objectives that go beyond its apparent scope.

Nader said Israel was effectively presenting Lebanon with an ultimatum: the Lebanese state must disarm Hezbollah, or the Israeli military would seek to achieve that goal through its own methods and on its own terms.

The ongoing operations in southern Lebanon, he said, reveal how Israel is seeking to impose that equation on the ground.