As US presses ahead with Iran deal, IDF unleashes heavy fire in southern Lebanon; parents of wounded soldiers question mission as Hezbollah claims new attacks and Israel says it is striking terrorists after repeated ceasefire violations Related TopicsIran is demanding an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says IDF troops will remain in a buffer zone across the border, even as families of soldiers wounded in the north question the purpose of the mission after a U.S.-Iran framework calling for a halt to military operations on all fronts.“How many more dead do they need before someone understands that under this deal, we have no real reason to be in Lebanon with all this redeployment?” the father of a soldier moderately wounded this week told ynet.IDF strikes Hezbollah rocket launcher in southern Lebanon (Video: IDF)Arab media reported heavy Israeli strikes overnight across southern Lebanon, including airstrikes and artillery fire near Kfartebnit. The IDF said it struck Hezbollah terrorists and infrastructure after “repeated violations” of the ceasefire by the Iran-backed Shiite terrorist group.Hours after U.S. President Donald Trump formally signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran, the IDF published a map of the security zone where its forces are deployed in southern Lebanon, saying troops were operating about 10 kilometers, or 6 miles, inside Lebanese territory.4 View gallery Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon 4 View gallery Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon 4 View gallery Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon Hezbollah said it had launched operations in response to what it called repeated Israeli ceasefire violations in southern Lebanon. The group said its fighters confronted an Israeli force trying to advance from Arnoun toward Kfartebnit.ynet war analyst Ron Ben-Yishai wrote that Hezbollah has been significantly weakened since Israel’s 2024 operations, losing much of its long-range and heavy missile arsenal. He said about 8,000 Hezbollah fighters and commanders have been killed since Oct. 8, 2023, out of an estimated force of about 30,000.4 View gallery IDF forces operating in southern Lebanon (Photo: IDF)But Hezbollah, he wrote, still has enough rockets, anti-tank missiles and attack drones to disrupt life in northern Israel and wage guerrilla warfare against Israeli troops between the border and the so-called yellow line inside Lebanon.Relatives of wounded soldiers hospitalized at Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa said troops feel stuck. One friend of a wounded soldier said the army “is basically standing still” while facing constant drone threats.A relative of another wounded soldier said the agreement had left troops feeling exposed. “You go up to the sixth-floor intensive care unit and it’s horrific. What exactly are they doing there? Who are they protecting? What exactly are they fighting for? There are quite a few wounded soldiers here who simply could not escape the threat posed by drones," she said.“The troops are deeply frustrated by this terrible agreement that was signed, and they understand that if this is the situation, they will remain there until the end of the 60-day framework agreement like sitting ducks. Residents are returning to villages in Lebanon, the army is standing still, and the soldiers are just looking for ways to protect themselves and avoid getting hurt. It’s awful.”Comments