IDF Deepens Lebanon Offensive Toward Nabatieh After Hezbollah Rejects Ceasefire

Reporting from the ground paints a grim picture. The New York Times described Nabatieh as a desolate city, its streets empty, shops boarded up or damaged by airstrikes, and Israeli drones constantly hovering overhead. The new conflict line has been clearly marked just a few miles south of the city .

Casualties mount as airstrikes continue

Despite multiple ceasefire announcements, airstrikes and violence are killing civilians at a steady pace. On June 11, at least 11 people were killed and more than 25 wounded in Israeli airstrikes across eastern and southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese media reports . Separate tallies placed the day's death toll at 12, with strikes hitting the Nabatieh district, the Tyre district, and the Bekaa region .

In the 72 hours ending June 12, at least 14 people were killed and nearly two dozen wounded in southern Lebanon. Among the strikes, Israeli forces hit a hospital in Tyre for the sixth time in three months, and Red Cross paramedics were among the wounded . Lebanese authorities report the overall death toll since March 2 has reached 3,666, with more than 11,300 wounded .

UN peacekeepers caught in the crossfire

The expanding conflict has increasingly endangered United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) personnel. On the morning of June 11, a strike impacted near a UNIFIL logistical convoy in the village of Harris in Sector West. Two Malaysian peacekeepers from Malbatt 850-13 sustained minor injuries, and two UN vehicles were damaged .

Malaysia's Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin confirmed the injuries were minor, and the UN reported the peacekeepers were in stable condition . The incident occurred approximately one kilometer west of UN Position 6-43 in Tibnin as the convoy was conducting a routine resupply mission to Tyre . UNIFIL has said it will investigate the incident .

This was the second serious incident involving UNIFIL peacekeepers in less than a week. On June 4, a Serbian peacekeeper died from critical injuries sustained when mortar shells struck his position near Marjayoun in southeastern Lebanon. Two other peacekeepers were also wounded and received treatment at a UNIFIL medical facility . Malaysia condemned the continuing attacks on UN peacekeepers and extended condolences to Serbia .

Diplomatic collapse: Hezbollah rejects U.S.-brokered ceasefire

On June 3, the United States announced that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to extend their fragile ceasefire and establish several "pilot" security zones within Lebanon where Hezbollah militants would be prohibited. The agreement was explicitly "conditional upon a complete halt" of Hezbollah fire and the evacuation of all Hezbollah operatives from the South Litani Sector .

Two days later, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem formally rejected the deal. He called the negotiations "futile" and "humiliating" for Lebanon and insisted on a comprehensive truce that includes full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory . Qassem's position was echoed by longtime Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, who demanded a full ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal before any Hezbollah retreat north of the Litani River .

Israel, meanwhile, has said it would not withdraw from the south . Airstrikes continued even in the hours immediately after the ceasefire announcement, and the IDF has made clear its military campaign will continue at full force .

Israel's refusal to withdraw and the expanding occupation

Israel now occupies approximately 2,000 square kilometers of Lebanese territory, nearly 20 percent of the country . The IDF's capture of the 900-year-old Beaufort Castle near Nabatieh has become a symbolic centerpiece of the expanded operation. Defense Minister Israel Katz declared that Israeli troops would remain in the area as part of a new "security zone" .

The occupation marks Israel's most extensive incursion into Lebanon in over 25 years, with operations now reaching from the Litani River to the Zahrani River . The IDF says the operation aims to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure and prevent rocket attacks on northern Israeli communities .

Humanitarian crisis deepens

The humanitarian toll of the renewed conflict is severe and worsening. According to an ACAPS assessment published on June 12, over 3,700 people have been killed since hostilities escalated in early March 2026 . More than one million people have been displaced, and shelters across the country have reached capacity. The overwhelming majority of displaced people are struggling to meet basic needs, including food, water, and medical care .

Evacuation orders have steadily expanded northward, first beyond the Litani River and now to the Zahrani River, encompassing the city of Nabatieh and other population centers . Humanitarian access is constrained by active hostilities and Israeli control over large portions of southern territory, complicating efforts to reach the most vulnerable populations .