Overview
- An explosive-laden Hezbollah drone struck IDF troops on the Ali al-Taher Ridge late Friday, seriously wounding an officer and two soldiers, Israeli officials said.
- In response, the IDF carried out precision airstrikes in the Nabatieh district and Ansar area that Lebanese authorities say killed at least 11 people, including three children.
- The Israeli military said the strikes eliminated a battalion commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force and accused the group of placing civilians near its command post; Lebanese leaders rejected that claim and condemned the attacks.
- Iran sharply condemned the strikes and called out the U.N., while U.S. diplomats urged Hezbollah to relinquish weapons, widening the diplomatic rift over responsibility and legal justifications for the violence.
- The incident is the deadliest since the June U.S.-mediated truce and could undermine the phased withdrawal and disarmament arrangements central to the planned talks in Rome, with negotiators now facing higher political and security hurdles.