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Lebanese military forces mobilized in a southern border town Sunday following Israeli troop activity across the frontier, escalating tensions in a region where a months-old ceasefire has grown increasingly fragile.
The Lebanese army deployed vehicles and personnel to Meiss El-Jabal after Israeli forces were placed on alert in occupied territories adjacent to the Kroum al-Marah neighborhood, east of the town, according to Lebanon's state news agency NNA.
The military response follows a direct order issued Thursday by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who instructed the army to confront any Israeli incursions into liberated Lebanese territories in the south. That directive came after an Israeli raid killed a municipal employee inside the Blida municipality building in southern Lebanon.
The ceasefire agreement, which took effect in November 2024, has deteriorated in recent weeks as Israel has conducted near-daily air raids inside Lebanese territory. The Israeli military was scheduled to complete its withdrawal from southern Lebanon in January but has only partially pulled out, maintaining positions at five border outposts.
Israel's public broadcaster KAN reported Friday that Tel Aviv is weighing an escalation of military operations in Lebanon, citing concerns about Hezbollah's efforts to rebuild its capabilities.
The conflict, which began in October 2023 and intensified into a full-scale offensive in September 2024, has killed more than 4,000 people and wounded nearly 17,000 in Lebanon, according to Lebanese authorities.
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