After the completion of Israeli military operations in Ali al-Taher Heights, the field focus shifted to the town of Mansouri in the western sector of southern Lebanon, where Israel says that Hezbollah is trying to reposition itself in one of the largest gatherings built on the axis leading to the city of Tyre, while the Israeli army continues its bombing and incursion operations in the vicinity of the town.
According to a report by journalist Avi Ashkenazi in the Israeli newspaper “Maariv”, the Israeli army intensified its activity in the vicinity of the town of Mansouri, which according to the Israeli narrative is located within the so-called “yellow line” in the western sector of southern Lebanon, near the town of Majdal Zoun.
The report indicated that Al-Mansouri is almost the only large urban area between Majdal Zone and the city of Tyre.
The Israeli army says that the town lies within the “yellow line” determined by Israel, but it has not yet completed what it describes as “clearing” it.
According to the Israeli assessment, the fact that Al-Mansouri is the northernmost town within the area that Israel says it controls security-wise has led to the belief that Hezbollah will try to enter it again.
The Israeli army estimates that the party may attempt to carry out operations against its forces in Majdal Zoun and in the western sector of the area that Israel calls the “security belt” in southern Lebanon.
The report indicated that Al-Mansouri is a Shiite town that was evacuated during the days of fighting, and that its residents did not return to it.
In recent weeks, the 55th Reserve Parachute Brigade, affiliated with the 91st Division, has been operating in the Al-Mansouri area as part of an operation that the report said is being carried out systematically.
According to what the report quoted from Lebanese media, the Israeli Air Force launched raids on Monday morning on buildings inside the town.
He added that Israeli aircraft bombed the Al-Mansouri area at a rate ranging between one and three times a day, in parallel with bombing carried out by artillery units.
According to the Israeli army, the strikes are focused on homes and buildings that the army has classified as booby-trapped with explosive devices, or on buildings that it considers to be in control on the ground and that provide surveillance and shooting capabilities towards the areas where its forces operate.
In parallel, forces from the Engineering Corps, under the cover of armored units and members of the Reserve Paratroopers Brigade, are carrying out operations inside the outskirts of the town, with the aim of what the Israeli army describes as “clearing the area” and destroying Hezbollah’s infrastructure.
The Israeli army says that Al-Mansouri is located topographically at a lower elevation than the one on which Majdal Zoun is located, but it is located on the access axis from the city of Tire towards the south.
Hence, according to Israeli estimates, the belief arose that Hezbollah was interested in establishing a force within the town from which it could launch operations against Israeli forces in the western sector of southern Lebanon.
The report claims that Hezbollah realized that the Israeli army had not completed its operations in the town, and that it attempted to develop plans related to the area. However, according to the narrative received, the Israeli army moved faster and is currently intensifying its operations there to prevent the party from implementing those plans.
The Israeli army stresses that the town is located within the “yellow line,” while a military official said that the ongoing operations are part of what he described as “reshaping the security reality” in the region up to that line.
These operations come after the Israeli army announced over the weekend the destruction of Hezbollah’s central tunnel network in Ali al-Tahir Heights.
Israel subsequently issued warnings to Iran and Hezbollah, stressing that any attempt to respond would be met with a massive attack.
Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz also announced yesterday that the army is preparing operationally to control the Ali al-Tahir Heights and prevent any attempt by Hezbollah or any other party to return and station there.
Between Ali Al-Taher and Al-Mansouri, the Israeli narrative reveals that the field weight has shifted from striking tunnels and underground structures to trying to prevent Hezbollah from repositioning within the residential communities close to the access axes to Tyre, which places Al-Mansouri at the heart of the next phase of Israeli operations in southern Lebanon.
