Report: Israel divides southern Lebanon area it occupies into zones

Israel has divided the part of southern Lebanon it controls into three zones following the ceasefire between it and the Lebanese government, Israeli media reported on Sunday.

The so-called red line refers to the first row of villages directly on the Israeli-Lebanese border, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

Most buildings there have already been destroyed and there are no longer any fighters from Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in this area, the paper said. In some places Israeli ground troops have taken up fixed positions.

The army initially did not comment on the report when asked.

The “yellow line” runs six to 10 kilometres from the border, the paper reported. Israel has also deployed a “yellow line” concept in the Gaza Strip, half of which it continues to occupy since the ceasefire in October 2025.

In this zone of Lebanon, which contains dozens of villages, the army’s goal is reportedly to prevent shelling, mainly by rockets, of northern Israel.

Israeli ground troops are still deployed in this zone and there are still isolated clashes, including around the Hezbollah stronghold of Bint Jbeil, it said.

The third line extends as far as the Litani River, which is around 30 kilometres from the border.

In that area, the army wants to enforce its control primarily through “firepower and observation posts,” the paper said.