Israel Pushes Across the Litani as Lebanon Calls for an Urgent Ceasefire

Israel has expanded its ground campaign in southern Lebanon, crossing the Litani River and moving into the area to its north, in an escalation that Lebanon's government described as dangerous. Lebanon's prime minister, Nawaf Salam, denounced the Israeli campaign and called for a swift and real ceasefire after fresh strikes hit the south, The Hindu reported. His statement came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his forces had advanced deeper into the country.

The human cost is mounting. Lebanon's health ministry, cited by the Russian agency TASS, put the death toll from Israeli attacks at 3,371, with 10,129 wounded. Those figures come from the Lebanese authorities and have not been independently verified.

Lebanon's military is under strain. A geopolitical analyst told Al Jazeera that the Lebanese army lacks the capacity to counter the advance as Israeli troops expand their occupation. Israeli reporting matches the broad outline of the advance. The Israeli outlet Ynet described forces crossing the Litani and securing the area beyond it, quoting a military source who said engineers had built river crossings, while also reporting that Washington could halt the fighting at any time but had not yet done so.

Iranian state media, drawing on statements from Hezbollah, reported 24 operations by the Lebanese resistance against Israeli positions over the previous day. Taken together, the sources agree that Israel has pushed north of the Litani and that exchanges of fire continue, while they differ on casualty counts and on which side holds the initiative.