Said Amori
11 June 2026•Update: 11 June 2026
The Israeli army claimed Thursday to have taken control of the Wadi Saluki stream area in southern Lebanon, effectively widening the territory occupied by Tel Aviv in the Arab country.
A military statement said Israeli forces completed an operation to achieve “operational control” and clear the area north of the Saluki River, around 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the Israeli border.
It claimed the area was used by Hezbollah to launch explosive drones and attacks against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.
The army said it dismantled hundreds of Hezbollah infrastructure, killed more than 50 people and seized caches of weapons during the operation.
The Israeli army has continued a deadly offensive against Lebanon since a cross-border attack by Hezbollah on March 2, killing more than 3,700 people, injuring over 11,400 others and displacing over 1 million, according to Lebanese officials.
Israel occupies areas in southern Lebanon, some for decades and others seized during the previous war between 2023 and 2024. During its current offensive, Israeli forces advanced more than 10 kilometers (6 miles) in their deepest incursion since Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000.
*Writing by Rasa Evrensel in Istanbul
