Rescuers at the site of an Israeli strike in Kfar Roummane, southern Lebanon, on March 26, 2026. (Credit: Abbas Fakih / AFP)
The Israeli army targeted rescuers in southern Lebanon overnight from Friday to Saturday, killing at least seven and wounding others, as ground battles with Hezbollah continued in several border communities.
Two rescuers, Mohammad Nassif Zhour, from Yohmor al-Shaqif, and Mohammad Tfayli, from Kfar Tibnit, were killed and others wounded in an Israeli drone strike on vehicles belonging to Hezbollah’s Islamic Health Committee in Kfar Tibnit (Nabatieh), according to our correspondent. Another Israeli strike hit an ambulance belonging to the al-Rissala Scouts, affiliated with the Amal movement, in Zaoutar Sharqieh (Nabatieh), killing at least five rescuers.
Israeli airstrikes also hit Haniyeh (Sour) at dawn Saturday, killing at least five people and wounding more than 10, most of them Syrian nationals, our correspondent reported. An Israeli strike targeted a motorcycle in Haddatha (Bint Jbeil), seriously wounding the driver. Another strike hit the outskirts of Touline (Marjayoun).
Israeli warplanes carried out raids on the heights of Jabal al-Rihane (Jezzine) and Arab Salim (Nabatieh). Artillery fire targeted Khiam, the outskirts of Nabatieh, Burj Qalaway, Ghandourieh, and Qabrikha. At 2 a.m., a heavy strike hit the Zefta–Nmairiyeh valley (Nabatieh), and Israeli artillery fire targeted the outskirts of Shebaa (Hasbaya). At 4 a.m., another raid was reported in Kafra (Bint Jbeil).
Series of raids
After 5 a.m., an Israeli drone fired two missiles at a house in the al-Machaa neighborhood of Adloun (Saida district), sparking a fire but causing no casualties. Other strikes hit a building on al-Daraja hill, at the al-Qalaa intersection in Harouf (Nabatieh district), as well as Toul and Doueir in the same district. After 6 a.m., Israeli aircraft struck a house in the al-Nabaa neighborhood in Kfar Sir (Nabatieh district).
In the Bekaa, an Israeli airstrike hit the outskirts of Lebbaya (Western Bekaa district), according to our correspondent in the region.
Throughout Friday, Israeli airstrikes hit 25 towns in the south, and drones targeted six others. Nineteen towns were shelled by Israeli artillery, including two with phosphorus rounds. Hezbollah said it carried out 58 attacks Friday, targeting 12 tanks, according to its statements.
In the southern suburbs of Beirut, the Israeli army dropped leaflets on Saturday morning which landed in Jnah, causing damage to a flat in the neighborhood and initially leading people to believe it was an air strike. “Be careful. Only in this leaflet can you read the truth. Hezbollah is turning your homes into terrorist hideouts,” read one of the leaflets, according to a photo taken by our reporter on the ground.
Israeli troops on banks of the Litani as Hezbollah pushes back
Israeli troops reached the banks of the Litani River for the first time since the start of its invasion of southern Lebanon, near the village of Taybeh (Marjayoun), where its troops were reportedly ambushed by Hezbollah fighters. Hezbollah also said the clashes resulted in casualties among Israeli forces and the destruction of numerous military vehicles.
Hezbollah had carried out overnight attacks against Israeli forces in Taybeh and Qantara (Marjayoun), and Debel (Bint Jbeil), several kilometers from the border where fighting has intensified in recent days.
At 8 p.m. on Saturday, Hezbollah announced in a statement that it had targeted, on four occasions at 3 p.m., 3.30 p.m., 5 p.m. and 5.10 p.m., “soldiers and vehicles of the enemy Israeli army with rocket salvos” at the “Litani Project” site in Taybeh, located in the valley where the river flows between the villages of Taybeh and Yohmor al-Shaqif (on the other side of the river, in the district of Nabatieh). This location is approximately 3.5 kms from the nearest point on the southern border.
The group also said it ambushed Israeli troops in Baydar al-Faqaani in Taybeh, causing “heavy losses” and forcing them to evacuate casualties under heavy fire and smoke cover. It added that Israeli troops advancing toward the Litani River in the Baydar al-Nahr area were targeted with rockets, artillery shells, and drones. In a statement issued around 1:30 a.m., it said the clashes were ongoing.
Merkava tanks destroyed south of Sour
Hezbollah also said it struck two Merkava tanks with missiles near al-Khazzan in Qantara at 2:30 a.m., and another in Debel with a drone at 7:30 a.m. In Debel, it fired rockets at Israeli soldiers and vehicles near the village pond at 4 a.m., and targeted troops with a drone at 7 a.m. It also said it fired rockets at an Israeli deployment at the Wadi al-Ayoun–Rshaf junction in Bint Jbeil district.
Hezbollah said it also carried out several attacks in northern Israel, targeting the Mishar base, described as the main intelligence headquarters for the northern region, northeast of Safad, and firing rockets at Malkia and Avivim shortly after 5 a.m., following warnings to several northern Israeli communities. It added that it launched a barrage of rockets at an Israeli artillery position in Zaoura, in the occupied Syrian Golan.
The group also said it forced an RC-12 reconnaissance aircraft to retreat at 7:45 a.m. as it flew over Western Bekaa. This type of aircraft is mainly used by the U.S. military and, unlike drones, has a crew on board.
