Netanyahu hailed military achievements against Hezbollah, calling the terror group \u201cthe most important link in the Iranian axis,\u201d and saying that after recent rounds of fighting, only 8% of its previous stock of 150,000 missiles and rockets remains, while 9,000 Hezbollah terrorists have been killed.<\/p>\n
A framework agreement signed last week committed Lebanon to restoring sovereignty over its territory through the \u201cverified disarmament of non-state armed groups,\u201d which would in turn enable a progressive Israeli withdrawal. The state of Lebanon, along with Israel and the US, signed the agreement, but Hezbollah and its allies are opposed to it.<\/p>\n
\t On Monday, Defense Minister Katz said Israel has \u201cno territorial ambitions in Lebanon,\u201d<\/a> but that the IDF will not withdraw \u201ca millimeter\u201d until the terror group is disarmed. He also voiced skepticism that the Lebanese army would \u201csuddenly become lions charging at Hezbollah,\u201d concluding that the IDF\u2019s presence in Lebanon would be \u201clong-term.\u201d<\/p>\n That night, Lebanese state media said an Israeli strike had hit the country\u2019s south, between the towns of Qantara and Deir Seryan. There was no comment from the IDF. The reported incident was inside the security zone and may have been demolition work.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, a Hezbollah operative who was identified near Israeli forces was killed in a strike, the IDF said, reporting that he was spotted near the village of Manzleh, close to the security zone.<\/p>\n \u201cThe terrorist\u2019s activities posed a threat to the forces,\u201d it continued, adding that he was targeted and killed in a strike to \u201cremove the threat.\u201d<\/p>\n UN said pushing to maintain presence in Lebanon<\/p>\n The United Nations is pushing to maintain a military presence in southern Lebanon after the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) expires at the end of the year, Channel 12 reported.<\/p>\n According to the TV network, UN Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres, with backing from France, is pressing the United States and the UN Security Council to approve a successor force comprising some 5,000 troops and 500 observers to monitor southern Lebanon.<\/p>\n The proposal came amid French concerns over the dominant US role in overseeing the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, with Paris sidelined in the negotiations.<\/p>\n Israel opposes any continued UN military presence, arguing that UNIFIL failed to prevent Hezbollah\u2019s military buildup and did not fulfill its mandate, with an official telling the network that the peacekeeping force is \u201cincapable of creating deterrence or reducing escalation during the war.\u201d<\/p>\n \t Some 400,000 Lebanese have returned to parts of southern Lebanon that are outside the security zone after fleeing earlier in the conflict, the country\u2019s social affairs minister said on Tuesday, encouraged by the relative lull.<\/p>\n Since this round of fighting began on March 2, when Hezbollah attacked Israel in support of Iran, around a million people have been forced to flee their homes, and large numbers are still in shelters or temporary housing because their homes are destroyed or uninhabitable, said the minister, Hanine El Sayed.<\/p>\n Roughly 40% of those displaced have now returned to their towns and villages. The number of people staying in collective shelters has fallen sharply, to about 13,000 from 37,000, she said.<\/p>\n Authorities expect further returns in the coming days and hope within about a week to better gauge how many families cannot go back at all.<\/p>\n \u201cIn about a week\u2019s time \u2026 we would really know the size of the problem \u2014 how many absolutely cannot return because their homes have been totally damaged,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident \u2013 ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded \u2013 I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.<\/p>\n There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.<\/p>\n As a Times of Israel reporter, I\u2019m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit\u2019s. But my colleagues and I can’t do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.<\/p>\n \u2014 Stav Levaton, military reporter<\/p>\n \t\t\t
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\n\t\tThis handout photo shows (left to right) Deputy IDF Chief of Staff Tamir Yadai, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Defense Minister Israel Katz, during a visit to southern Lebanon, June 30, 2026. (Haim Zach\/GPO)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AFP__20260622__B7WD63T__v1__HighRes__IsraelLebanonIranUsWarUnifil-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tThis picture taken from a position in northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon shows a United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) armored vehicle driving past destroyed buildings in southern Lebanon on June 22, 2026. (Jalaa MAREY \/ AFP)<\/p>\n
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