Wassim Samih Seifeddine, Lina Altawell
17 August 2026•Update: 17 August 2026
Israeli warplanes struck at least one position in the Wadi al-Hujair valley in southern Lebanon on Monday despite an ongoing ceasefire, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) has reported.
NNA also reported the movement of Israeli military vehicles in nearby areas, along with sporadic machine-gun fire by Israeli forces deployed in the region.
Israeli military aircraft struck at least one position in Wadi al-Hujair after midnight on Monday near the town of Al-Qantara, the news agency said.
The Wadi al-Hujair valley extends through the Nabatieh, Marjayoun and Bint Jbeil districts of southern Lebanon’s Jabal Amel region.
NNA did not report any casualties or material damage as a result of the Israeli strike.
Meanwhile, in the Marjayoun district, Israeli military vehicles reportedly moved east of the town of Khiam, while Israeli forces directed medium and heavy machine-gun fire toward the town and its immediate surroundings.
Israeli gunfire was reportedly heard in several nearby towns and villages.
Israeli forces deployed in the Bint Jbeil district also directed machine-gun fire toward the nearby town of Haddatha, the news agency said.
The escalation comes a day after Israel’s Channel 12, citing unnamed military sources, reported that the army was preparing for the possibility of several more days of fighting in southern Lebanon.
Despite the signing of a US-backed framework agreement between Beirut and Tel Aviv on June 26, Israel has continued its assault on southern Lebanon, which has killed 4,335 people – and injured 12,277 – since it began on March 2.
The agreement calls for a gradual Israeli withdrawal from all occupied Lebanese territory, after which Lebanese army forces are expected to deploy into vacated areas.
It also calls for the disarmament of “armed groups” in reference to Hezbollah.
Israeli forces remain present in several parts of southern Lebanon, some of which it has occupied for decades.
Other areas have remained occupied since a previous round of fighting in 2023 and 2024, during which Israeli forces advanced more than 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) into sovereign Lebanese territory.