Israeli airstrikes, artillery fire and ground incursions in southern Lebanon are raising fears of a broader military operation, with Israeli forces targeting strategic high ground, access routes and areas surrounding towns under their control, Lebanese security sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The activity is concentrated along three main axes, according to the sources: the strategic Ali al-Taher heights east of Nabatiyeh; a central corridor leading toward the Israeli-controlled city of Bint Jbeil; and the southwestern coastal area around Majdal Zoun and Mansouri.

In the eastern sector, Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire have focused on the area surrounding the Ali al-Taher heights, a strategic position east of Nabatiyeh that Israeli forces have sought to control for about 10 weeks, according to the Lebanese security sources.

The sources said the pattern of strikes and demolitions “appears to be preparations for a military operation at a later stage.”

They said Israeli attacks were targeting the high ground surrounding Ali al-Taher, particularly Al-Dabsha and Al-Tahra hills, both of which had been under Israeli control before Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000.

The sources said the destruction of homes and continued attacks on the surrounding hills suggested that Israel was seeking to isolate the strategic position.

“Israeli forces are trying to completely isolate the strategic heights from their surroundings, prevent movement along their edges and create a geographic buffer of more than three kilometers between the heights and vital areas to which some residents have returned,” the sources said.

Over the past week, Israeli aircraft have repeatedly struck unfinished homes and large residences in Dohat Kafr Rumman, north of Ali al-Taher, and Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa, southwest of the heights. Israeli forces have also continued demolishing homes in Kfartibnit, immediately west of the strategic position.

The Israeli military has simultaneously shelled the heights, which extend about 1.5 kilometers from north to south, with artillery and phosphorus munitions, while drones have dropped explosives over the area and detonated them.

While Ali al-Taher has attracted particular attention because of political and military statements surrounding the strategic position, Israeli operations are also extending across the central sector, according to the sources.

Israeli forces have been conducting incursions into Beit Yahoun, Braasheet, Haddatha and Ayta al-Jabal, four villages that were not under Israeli occupation when the ceasefire agreement took effect last June.

The villages lie along major routes leading toward Bint Jbeil and form what the sources described as a third line of villages extending inland from the city.

The security sources said the activity raised concerns that any Israeli military operation could extend beyond Ali al-Taher.

“The movements indicate preparations for a broader battle along more than one axis, including the central sector,” they said.

Israeli activity in the area stretches for roughly five kilometers from Braasheet to Haddatha, according to the sources. They said the apparent objective was to create another buffer zone across an area of elevated terrain that provides views over nearby valleys, including Wadi al-Saluki.

Recent events have underscored the continuing military activity in this corridor. Lebanese reporting has described Israeli troop movements between Aita al-Jabal and Beit Yahoun, artillery fire toward Beit Yahoun and Braasheet, and further attacks around Haddatha. (L'Orient Today)

23 Israeli positions inside Lebanon

The sources said Israel has not established fixed military positions throughout this particular area, but has created positions farther inside Lebanese territory.

They put the number of positions established since the resumption of fighting on March 2 at 17, in addition to six positions created inside Lebanon after the 2024 war, bringing the total to 23.

Israeli forces have also continued to use artillery and drones against the area, accompanied by persistent surveillance flights.

Lebanese media reported military movements between Beit Yahoun and Braasheet on Saturday, while Israeli aircraft struck Srebbine, Rashaf and Haris. Haddatha was also subjected to machine-gun fire.

An Israeli drone dropped two sound bombs toward a bulldozer in Yater, according to the reports.

The pattern has continued in subsequent days. Recent reporting has documented artillery fire against Beit Yahoun, Braasheet and Haddatha, as well as controlled demolitions in Haddatha and explosions elsewhere in the sector. (L'Orient Today)

Activity extends to the western sector

In southern Lebanon's western sector, the Israeli military also carried out a demolition operation in the Mansouri commons in the Tyre district, according to the Lebanese sources.

An Israeli drone dropped a bomb between Hniyeh and Qlayleh, while a Merkava tank fired toward Mansouri.

Taken together, the movements described by the Lebanese security sources point to an Israeli military effort focused not only on individual targets but also on high ground, access routes and the terrain surrounding areas under Israeli control.

The sources cautioned that the concentration of operations along the eastern, central and western axes could signal preparations for a wider military campaign rather than an operation confined to the strategically important Ali al-Taher heights.