Shiite residents, including Hezbollah operatives, are returning to the village of Tebnit in southern Lebanon under Lebanese army escort, according to security analyst Hananel Aviv. The village lies southeast of Nabatieh near the Ali al-Taher ridge, where Israeli forces maintain a presence on the outskirts. Aviv reports additional footage showing Hezbollah spotters approaching Israeli positions without being fired upon, citing political-level restrictions imposed following a U.S. request.
Security analyst Hananel Aviv reported Monday afternoon that Shiite residents, including Hezbollah operatives and spotters, are returning to the southern Lebanese village of Tebnit under Lebanese army escort. According to Aviv, Hezbollah spotters are approaching areas of Israeli presence without being fired upon, a situation he attributes to political-level restrictions imposed following a U.S. request. This report, based on a desk-reviewed report relaying Aviv's material, remains unverified by The Zioneer.
This development follows a sequence of reports about Tebnit earlier Monday. At 15:25 Jerusalem, video footage showed Lebanese Army troops arriving in the village. Minutes later, Lebanese residents were reported entering Tebnit alongside military forces. By 16:07 Jerusalem, The Zioneer confirmed residents returning under Lebanese army escort. The current report adds that Hezbollah operatives are among the returnees and describes their proximity to Israeli positions without engagement.
As The Zioneer reported earlier Monday, residents of the nearby town of Zoutar also returned to destroyed homes following Hezbollah activity. The wider Nabatieh area has seen repeated IDF strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure, as The Zioneer reported at 15:46 Jerusalem on June 16, and clashes between IDF troops and Hezbollah operatives in Shiite villages, reported at 00:18 Jerusalem on June 16. Hezbollah claimed on June 20 that Israeli forces advanced toward Nabatieh.
Questions remain open: The report that Hezbollah operatives are among the returnees is based on a single analyst's account, relayed via Telegram. The claim that spotters are approaching Israeli positions without being fired upon due to political-level restrictions is similarly unattributed and unverified. No official confirmation from the IDF, the Lebanese army, or independent sources has been obtained.
5 developments
- DevelopingHezbollah claims heavy, ongoing clashes with IDF at Kfar Tebnit in southern Lebanon
- StrongIDF ground troops battle Hezbollah at Ali Taher ridge, southern Lebanon
- StrongFootage captures IDF strikes before dawn in Tebnit, Har Ali Taher, Nabatieh area
- StrongHeavy ground fighting erupts in southern Lebanon as IDF column ambushed near Kfar Tebnit
Source and signal
- Internal intake