The Israel Defense Forces announced on Thursday that a number of its officers and soldiers were injured in southern Lebanon over the past 48 hours, reporting 45 new casualties. This brings the total number of wounded personnel since the renewed assault on Lebanon to 735, including 44 critically injured and 100 in moderate condition.
This disclosure coincided with Israeli media reports pointing to a shift in the military’s long standing blackout policy, following growing internal criticism over the concealment of battlefield developments in the confrontation with Hezbollah.
The army also claimed it had recorded at least seven ceasefire violations by Hezbollah since the agreement took effect, asserting that Israel had not responded to these incidents. However, this claim was contradicted by its own announcement of an airstrike carried out on Wednesday targeting a Hezbollah launch site in the Sajd area of southern Lebanon, where it said one operative was killed. This contradiction reflects an attempt to maintain the image of operational control despite mounting field pressure.
Why Has Israel Shifted to Acknowledging Losses?
Israeli media outlets report that the military has begun updating operational details related to Hezbollah’s attacks after facing accusations of downplaying the scale of both the assaults and the resulting losses.
This shift followed confirmation by Israeli Army Radio that Tel Aviv had “finally acknowledged” a Hezbollah drone operation targeting Israeli forces advancing into the town of Qantara on Wednesday. Hezbollah had previously announced the operation in an official statement, alongside other attacks on Israeli troops and vehicles in southern Lebanon.
According to military correspondent Doron Kadosh, the Israeli army has deliberately refrained from disclosing certain Hezbollah operations. He cited the Qantara drone incident, which occurred roughly 7 kilometres from the border and did not result in casualties, as an example of an event the military initially chose not to publicise.
Kadosh noted that Hezbollah was the first to report the incident, with the Israeli army only confirming it after being questioned. He stated that the military saw “no need” to inform the public about what he described as another serious ceasefire violation.
This development highlights the growing pressure Hezbollah is placing on Israel’s military establishment and exposes the widening gap between Tel Aviv’s official narrative and reporting within its own media landscape.
Hezbollah’s Operational Pressure
On the ground, Hezbollah announced on Thursday a series of operations targeting Israeli forces advancing in southern Lebanon. These included attacks on troop gatherings and the downing of an Israeli reconnaissance drone.
In separate statements, the group said its fighters carried out two attacks on Israeli troop concentrations in the town of Taybeh using appropriate weapons and an attack drone. It also confirmed the downing of an Israeli surveillance drone in Majdal Zoun.
These operations follow earlier attacks targeting Israeli soldiers and military vehicles in multiple southern Lebanese towns, including Bayyada, Qantara and Mansouri.
Hezbollah stated that these actions were a direct response to Israeli violations of the ceasefire, attacks on civilians and the destruction of homes and villages in southern Lebanon, framing them within its stated right to resist occupation.
Internal Israeli Questions Over Limited Response
Within Israel, the restrained military response to Hezbollah’s operations has triggered debate across media circles. Questions are being raised over what has been described as deliberate “restraint”.
According to Israel’s Channel 12, Hezbollah carried out a series of attacks during Israel’s “Independence Day”, coinciding with the Nakba anniversary, including rocket fire and drone strikes targeting Israeli forces in southern Lebanon. These were characterised as violations of the ceasefire agreement.
In response, the Israeli army reported the killing of four armed individuals in two separate incidents after they allegedly approached and threatened Israeli forces.
Channel 12 further reported that Israel has avoided escalating its response due to a direct request from the United States to prevent disruption to potential negotiations that may resume in the coming days between Washington and Iran.
This US pressure appears to have narrowed the options available to the government of Benjamin Netanyahu in dealing with Hezbollah’s escalation in southern Lebanon. Voices within Israel’s military establishment have criticised this limitation, calling for a “disproportionate” response.
Military correspondent Avi Ashkenazi reported that the army is awaiting a political decision on how to proceed in Lebanon following what it describes as Hezbollah’s recent violations. He noted that the northern command is currently working to avoid escalation.
However, he added that the army has prepared operational plans for multiple pre defined scenarios and is awaiting authorisation from the political leadership to formally declare that Hezbollah has violated the ceasefire, which would enable a shift in current policy.
In this context, CNN cited an Israeli source confirming that Netanyahu is scheduled to hold a meeting with senior security officials on Thursday evening to discuss developments in Israel and Lebanon.
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