Israeli ground troops crossed the so-called Yellow Line demarcation in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, according to the Lebanese army, in what witnesses described as the deepest advance since the ceasefire mediated by the United States collapsed in late April. The incursion triggered immediate retaliation from Hezbollah, which said it targeted advancing Israeli forces with guided missiles and drone swarms. Casualties were reported on both sides, though exact figures remained contested as fighting continued into the evening hours.
The breach followed a day of intensified Israeli air strikes across Lebanon southern and Bekaa Valley, and came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced mounting pressure from far-right cabinet members to expand operations further north. Lebanon Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said any Israeli ground presence on Lebanese soil constituted a flagrant violation of Lebanese sovereignty and called for an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council.
The escalation follows the breakdown of the April 17 ceasefire, which had temporarily halted hostilities after more than two months of cross-border exchanges that left roughly 3,100 people dead. Since that accord collapsed, Israeli strikes have resumed at a pace that officials from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon described as among the most intense since the original 2006 war.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement urging both sides to return to diplomatic channels, noting that the Trump administration was in direct contact with both Tel Aviv and Beirut. The statement did not address whether the United States had advance knowledge of Tuesday ground incursion. Iran, which has backed Hezbollah throughout the conflict, warned that further Israeli advances would provoke a broader regional response.
Oil prices surged more than 3 percent on the news before paring gains as traders weighed the risk of a wider confrontation against signs of continued American diplomatic engagement. The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world oil flows, remained a focal point of concern as the broader Iran conflict continued to cast uncertainty over energy markets.
