BBC travels inside occupied Lebanon as officials say Israel expanding positions
The BBC's Hugo Bachega joined a UN humanitarian convoy as it travelled along Israeli-occupied southern Lebanon.
A BBC team has ventured into occupied Lebanon to join a humanitarian mission by the UN peacekeeping force, Unifil. This mission provides one of the few opportunities to access the region under Israeli control. Similar to their report from Gaza, Israel has shown a pattern of destruction, flattening entire villages and persisting with air strikes and demolitions even after the announcement of a ceasefire in June.
Western and Lebanese officials have informed the BBC that the Israeli military is steadily fortifying its positions within the occupied territories. Israel maintains that its objective is to establish a "security zone" to fend off Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel. They argue that the structures they have destroyed were utilized by Hezbollah for military purposes.
The BBC's visit, conducted in August, was facilitated by the Israeli military via a deconfliction mechanism in coordination with the UN. This report highlights the escalating Israeli presence in Lebanon, as disclosed by officials who spoke to the BBC.
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- Israel expanding presence in Lebanon, officials say, as BBC visits occupied areas bbc.co.uk
- IDF: Hezbollah launched explosive drones at troops in southern Lebanon, prompting strikes haaretz.com
- Hezbollah outlet claims IDF struck southern Lebanon after sirens sound in northern Israel jpost.com
- Hezbollah launches explosive drones at IDF troops, Israel strikes back israelnationalnews.com
