Overview
- The Israeli military said its Alpinist Unit crossed through deep snow from Mount Hermon in Syria to Mount Dov in southern Lebanon to scout and gather intelligence on enemy sites.
- The Independent reports the team joined broader Israeli operations in more than a dozen southern Lebanese villages that are pushing toward the Litani River.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered a wider security buffer in the north, and Defense Minister Israel Katz said border villages on the front line would be cleared with homes destroyed.
- The Independent reports more than 1,200 people in Lebanon have been killed and about a million displaced since the escalation, including recent deaths of three journalists and 10 rescue workers.
- Israel seized Mount Hermon in December 2024 and maintains several posts in southern Syria, which gives it high-ground access to launch and support cross-border operations.