The areas of southern Lebanon are witnessing an Israeli escalation on the ground, as Israeli shelling with white phosphorus was recorded in the area between Nabatieh and Kafr Tibnit.
Lebanese media sources reported that the Israeli occupation targeted the areas around the town of Nabatieh with white phosphorus bombs, which are internationally prohibited, and Majdal Zone was also subjected to similar phosphorus bombardment.
A Lebanese man was injured in an Israeli attack in the town of Mifdoun
The town of Kafr Tibnit in the district of Nabatieh witnessed Israeli artillery shelling at dawn on Monday, June 15, which resulted in the injury of a citizen in the neighboring town of Mifdoun as a result of being exposed to Israeli shells, and this coincided with the town and Nabatieh al-Fawqa being subjected to concentrated artillery strikes, and a stun grenade march was thrown over the town of Haris in the district of Bint Jbeil.
In this context, the Israeli occupation army carried out an explosion in the town of Hadatha in the Bint Jbeil district, in addition to two additional bombing operations in the town of Khiam towards the Dardara area.
At night, Israeli warplanes launched an airstrike on the town of Ghassaniyah targeting a residential house, killing the owner of the house and his wife, according to preliminary information.
Following this deterioration, the Lebanese army completely closed the road leading to Nabatieh, Fawqa and Kafr Tabnit, and the road from Kafr Rumman to the Meysna plain to Marjayoun.
Hezbollah targets Israeli gatherings on the outskirts of the town of Majdal Zone
On the other hand, Hezbollah announced in separate statements that it had targeted Israeli army gatherings and vehicles on the southern outskirts of the town of Majdal Zone, in the vicinity of the Khiyam detention center, the town of Tir Harfa, Qalaat al-Shukif, and the site of Ras al-Bayada, in addition to shelling a new artillery camp in the border town of Al-Adaissa.
In parallel with these military developments, there was a timid and limited return of displaced people to the city of Tyre and a number of villages in southern Lebanon. Several municipalities in the region issued statements calling on residents to wait and not rush to return to their homes before completing the field procedures and making sure that the security situation is stable.
The Lebanese concerned authorities emphasize that safe return requires the completion of field surveys and inspections, removal of dangers and unexploded ordnance to ensure the safety of the population and prevent accidents or injuries in the post-direct confrontation phase.
Unannounced meeting in Beirut discusses "Islamabad Track"
On the political and diplomatic front, information was leaked to the Lebanese newspaper Al-Modon stating that an unannounced meeting was held at the Iranian embassy in Beirut, bringing together Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Reza Shaibani with representatives of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, where the meeting included former minister Mohammad Fneish, Dr. Ahmed Muhanna (for Hezbollah), and MP Ali Hassan Khalil (for the Amal movement).
According to the sources, the discussions focused on the impact of the "Islamabad Process" and its negotiations on the Lebanese situation, as Iran reiterated its assurance to the two participants that it would not sign an agreement that does not include an explicit clause related to stopping the war in Lebanon, and the meeting addressed the efforts of the internal Lebanese dialogue away from the media between Hezbollah and President Joseph Aoun.
Berri praises US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding
In a related context, the Speaker of the Lebanese House of Representatives, Nabih Berri, praised the memorandum of understanding announced between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America, noting the diplomatic efforts and endeavors made by Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt to reach this understanding, which lays the foundations for the establishment of security and stability in the region and Lebanon.
Berri thanked and appreciated the leaders of Iran and the United States for their adherence and insistence on including in the agreed memorandum a basic and binding clause to stop the Israeli aggression on the entire Lebanese territory in order to preserve its sovereignty and the independence of its national decision, calling for not falling into the trap set by the Israeli political echelon led by Netanyahu.
Israel informs Washington of its refusal to withdraw from Lebanon
Israeli Minister of War Yisrael Katz announced that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are leading a clear and strict policy that the IDF will remain in the "security zones" inside Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip indefinitely and without a time limit, in order to protect Israel's borders and towns from what he described as "threats and jihadist elements."
Katz explained that their plan is for these areas to be "completely free of local populations," and to destroy all associated infrastructure both above and below ground, including homes in border villages that he considered "terrorist strongholds," describing the control of the land and the establishment of security zones as one of the IDF's greatest achievements in the current war as part of the lessons learned from the events of October 7.
The Minister of War affirmed Israel's absolute opposition to any withdrawal from southern Lebanon despite all existing and future pressures, noting that Netanyahu made this clear to US President Donald Trump and senior US officials, while he personally conveyed it to US Secretary of Defense Pete Higgseth.
Katz concluded by saying that the army supports this position professionally and security-wise, and threatened that Iran will respond with full force if it launches an attack on Israel against the background of the current events in Lebanon.
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