Israeli army establishes ‘yellow line’ in Lebanon

BEIRUT

The Israeli army on April 18 said it had established a “yellow line” in southern Lebanon, similar to measures used in Gaza, and claimed it targeted individuals approaching the area.

In a statement, the military said its forces operating in what it described as the “yellow line” zone south of the Litani River had identified over the past 24 hours “a terrorist cell who violated the ceasefire understandings and approached the forces from north of the yellow line in a manner that posed an immediate threat."

This is the first time Israel has publicly referred to a “yellow line” in Lebanon, described as a self-declared buffer zone resembling arrangements previously imposed in the Gaza Strip following the war that began in October 2023.

The army said its air force and ground troops struck the suspects, adding that artillery shelling was carried out in support of forces in the area.

It also claimed such actions are “not restricted by the ceasefire.”

On April 17, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said he was ready to take all necessary steps to secure Israel’s withdrawal and “save the country.”

A French soldier was killed and three others wounded in an ambush on April 18 on U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon that France's president blamed on Hezbollah, an accusation the group denied.

Israel's military reported that two of its soldiers had also been killed in combat in southern Lebanon since the start of a 10-day truce between Israel and Lebanon.

Lebanon's military said on April 19 it had reopened a road and bridge damaged by Israeli strikes in the country's south, as a 10-day truce holds between Hezbollah and Israel.

In a statement, the military said it "fully reopened" a road linking the city of Nabatieh with the Khardali area, and had "partially reopened the Burj Rahal-Tyre bridge.”

"Work is also underway to rehabilitate the Tayr Falsay-Tyre bridge... following damage caused by the Israeli aggression," the army added.

Israeli strikes on bridges that cross Lebanon's Litani river, which flows around 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of Israel, have largely cut off the area south of the waterway from the rest of Lebanon, according to the army.