Above photo: A Hezbollah FPV drone flying over Israeli troops near the border. 19 May, 2026. Flash90.
Israel rejects withdrawing from Lebanon.
Hebrew media reports indicate that Tel Aviv is scrambling to exclude Lebanon from the US–Iran agreement.
Tel Aviv announced on 18 June the killing of an Israeli soldier and the wounding of seven others by Hezbollah, following the official signing of an understanding between the US and Iran – which demands an end to the war on Lebanon.
Master Sergeant Alexander Filin “fell in combat” on Tuesday, the army said, adding that an officer, a reserve officer, and a reserve soldier were moderately injured.
A combat non-commissioned officer, two reserve soldiers, and a female reserve soldier were mildly injured, the Israeli army went on to say.
Preliminary findings indicate that the explosion was caused by a Hezbollah explosive device, though the incident remains under investigation.
Israeli occupation forces responded with artillery shelling.
“The force was hit by a Hezbollah roadside bomb that was detonated against them in the Litani area,” Maariv newspaper reported on 18 June.
Hours earlier on Tuesday, five Israeli soldiers were injured by two Hezbollah drones that targeted occupation forces in south Lebanon.
At around 6:00 am, an explosive-laden drone detonated near a tank belonging to the Israeli military’s Givati Brigade in the Kfar Tebnit area, wounding four soldiers with shrapnel, according to Israeli Army Radio.
Minutes later, a second explosive drone detonated above the evacuation vehicle, wounding an additional soldier, who was also airlifted to the hospital, the report added.
Hezbollah has so far refrained from announcing its latest resistance operations.
The Israeli army’s admission of the new casualties on Thursday comes as Tel Aviv continues to attack Lebanon and refuses to withdraw its troops from the country’s south.
This morning, an Israeli drone bombed a vehicle in Kfar Tebnit, south Lebanon, killing one person and critically injuring another. pic.twitter.com/loha0VEJtx
— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) June 18, 2026
An Israeli drone bombed a vehicle in Kfar Tebnit in south Lebanon on Thursday, killing one person and critically injuring another.
The Israeli army has also published a new map detailing its so-called “Forward Defense Line” in south Lebanon.
IDF publishes map of southern Lebanon deployment after Trump signs Iran memorandum
The military says troops are operating as far as 10 kilometers inside Lebanon to remove threats and protect northern communities; officials in Jerus…https://t.co/aEy0VRSl2F pic.twitter.com/ixeQp1OeEI
— Ynet Global (@ynetnews) June 18, 2026
“[Israeli army] soldiers are stationed in the designated area of operation in southern Lebanon and will continue to remove threats and strengthen the defense of Israel’s northern residents,” the army said.
It added that it will continue to occupy south Lebanon “in accordance with operational needs.”
The Forward Defense Line was meant to serve as a buffer zone, but Israeli forces have failed to clear it of Hezbollah resistance fighters and continue to face losses.
Hezbollah continues to release footage of its FPV drone strikes on Israeli occupation forces.
VIDEO | Hezbollah published a video, dated 13 June, of its fighters targeting an Israeli engineering vehicle on the outskirts of the the town of Majdal Zoun in southern Lebanon. pic.twitter.com/QwQ36qGkxB
— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) June 18, 2026
Tel Aviv demands freedom of action in the south and has rejected the Lebanon clause of the new US–Iran agreement.
According to Hebrew news outlet Channel 12, Israel is working to prevent the linking of the Iranian and Lebanese fronts.
The Lebanon clause of the memorandum between Washington and Tehran demands an immediate and permanent halt to Israeli military operations in Lebanon.
The Israeli military regards the inclusion of Lebanon in the Iran deal as “unacceptable” and has pushed Israel’s political establishment to move quickly and reach a separate arrangement with Washington and the Lebanese government.
