Hezbollah is changing the rules of the game in South Lebanon: Maariv

Israeli newspaper Maariv said the explosive blast that killed two Israeli soldiers in Majdal Zoun, southern Lebanon, signals a troubling shift for “Israel”, describing it as evidence that Hezbollah is “changing the rules of the game,” an assessment the paper said has rattled the Israeli military.

Maariv said Hezbollah seems to be shifting toward a ground guerrilla warfare strategy, and called the Israeli military’s response to Wednesday’s attack “slow and confused”. Looking ahead to the occupied West Bank, the paper warned that the coming days would be “difficult” for Israeli forces there.

Two Israeli reservists were killed on Wednesday when an explosive device went off in Majdal Zoun, the first Israeli fatalities in Lebanon since June 28. Several other soldiers were wounded, four of them seriously, according to Israeli Army Radio.

How the incident unfolded

According to Israeli Army Radio, an Israeli force from the 55th Brigade Combat Team was operating near Majdal Zoun around noon on Wednesday when troops entered a building in the area. An explosion went off as they entered, apparently triggered by an explosive device planted at the site.

A major and a first sergeant were killed in the blast. Four reservists were seriously wounded and evacuated for treatment.

Israel Hayom reported that the blast was so powerful it took some time to identify the two soldiers killed. Israeli Channel 12 similarly reported that only four wounded soldiers were initially accounted for after the explosion; the officer and a fifth soldier were later found beneath the rubble.

IOF investigating when the device was planted

Channel 12 noted that the occupation military still does not know whether the device was planted recently or had been there for a while.

Meanwhile, Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the Israeli military has launched a thorough investigation, with one key question at its center: whether the device was planted before or after the ceasefire took hold.

If it turns out the device predates the ceasefire, investigators will try to determine whether Hezbollah detonated it knowing Israeli troops were inside the building at the time.

Haifa’s Rambam Hospital said the four wounded soldiers remain in serious condition.

 Israeli attacks continue across southern Lebanon

The Majdal Zoun blast came amid a broader wave of Israeli ceasefire violations in southern Lebanon. Overnight on Wednesday into Thursday, Israeli occupation forces carried out airstrikes, drone attacks, artillery bombardments, and demolitions across several southern towns.

Israeli warplanes struck Mansouri in the Tyre district, while occupation drones hit Burj al-Shamali three times in succession, wounding several people. Israeli forces also carried out a controlled demolition in Hadatha, shelling the area around Ali al-Taher hill, while continuing to bombard Majdal Zoun and the outskirts of Mansouri and Hanniyeh.

The escalation followed an Israeli displacement threat telling al-Mansouri residentsto move at least 1,000 meters north, the first such warning since the ceasefire took effect in April. Shelling also continued across Zibqin, and fires broke out in Mais al-Jabal and Kfar Chouba after strikes hit agricultural land, as occupation forces carried out bulldozing operations and machine-gun fire in the area.

The attacks followed an Israeli drone attack on Wednesday on a prayer hall in Tebnine that killed one person and wounded 12 others. The continued escalation comes despite the ceasefire framework and ongoing direct talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials, including a seventh round of negotiations in Rome.