United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon recorded the most intense surge in Israeli military activity since the June 26 ceasefire framework, with heavy projectile fire, repeated airspace violations and strikes concentrated around Al-Mansuri. The escalation tested an agreement designed to support an Israeli withdrawal and the deployment of the Lebanese army in the south.
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon counted 113 projectiles fired by the Israeli military on Wednesday and another 120 between midnight and 4 p.m. on Thursday. Thursday's 16-hour total was the highest for a single day since June 21. UNIFIL detected no projectile launches by Hezbollah during either observation period.
Air activity also intensified. Peacekeepers recorded 49 violations of Lebanese airspace on Wednesday, amounting to more than 131 hours of overflight time, as well as three strikes northwest of Al-Mansuri. On Thursday they observed another 29 airspace violations and confirmed at least three additional strikes near the town.
UNIFIL was aware of accounts that two Israeli soldiers were killed and several were injured in an explosion after troops entered a facility in the Al-Mansuri area ahead of a planned demolition. The mission did not directly see or hear that explosion, but it recorded a later Israeli evacuation and displacement order. Seventy-seven of Wednesday's 113 projectiles landed in Al-Mansuri and nearby areas.
The mission continues to examine reports of unauthorized infrastructure, including possible tunnel activity, through liaison and coordination procedures. It also observed large concentrations of military assets, engineering work and logistical movements across its eastern and western sectors and north of the Litani River. Israeli patrol boats crossed into Lebanese territorial waters on Monday before returning south.
Civilian harm extended beyond Al-Mansuri. Overnight strikes injured eight people at Burj Al-Shemali near Tyre, while a separate strike at Tibnine in Nabatieh Governorate killed one person and injured 12, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said. About 30 families left Al-Mansuri for Tyre and moved into collective shelters or stayed with relatives as aid organizations mobilized assistance.
Humanitarian pressure remains severe even where displaced residents have returned. Nearly 90% of displaced households in Western Bekaa are back in their villages, but many describe damage to homes, businesses, schools and water infrastructure, along with disrupted livelihoods and persistent safety concerns. Peacekeepers are also clearing explosive hazards, including cluster-bomb remnants found near Marjayoun.
Lebanon and Israel reached the US-brokered framework on June 26, and Washington announced the start of implementation on July 20. The arrangement calls for Israeli forces to leave southern Lebanon and for the Lebanese army to deploy there. The scale of this week's fire, air operations and displacement demonstrates how fragile the implementation remains and how closely security, territorial control and civilian recovery are still connected.
