IDF Seizes 30,000-Person El-Khiam as Israel Imposes New Border Security Doctrine
Updated
Updated · The Jerusalem Post · May 15
IDF Seizes 30,000-Person El-Khiam as Israel Imposes New Border Security Doctrine
2 articles · Updated · The Jerusalem Post · May 15
Givati’s Sabar Battalion now controls El-Khiam, a southern Lebanese town 6 kilometers from Israel’s border, with commanders saying troops will stay as long as needed to shield Metula and Kfar Yuval.
Israeli officers said Hezbollah had turned the town into a fortified hub, with tunnel shafts appearing roughly every 30 meters and a 25-meter shaft under a clothing store leading to an underground command center.
The army says the operation reflects a post-October 7 doctrine: push hostile forces away from the border, hold forward positions, and prevent rebuilt civilian cover from restoring attack infrastructure.
Commanders said the latest advance reached El-Khiam within hours after Hezbollah rocket fire following the February 28 strike on Iran, far faster than the weeks it took Israeli forces to approach the town in 2024.
A drone alert during the media visit underscored the remaining threat, though officers described Hezbollah’s drone campaign as manageable and framed El-Khiam as a template for Israel’s wider border posture in Lebanon, Gaza and southwestern Syria.
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Israel’s 2026 Lebanon Invasion: Buffer Zones, Civilian Displacement, and the New Middle East Crisis
Overview
The 2026 Lebanon War erupted after Hezbollah launched rockets and drones into Israel in early March, following the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader and ongoing Israeli strikes since 2024. This escalation drew Lebanon into a wider conflict with Israel, the United States, and Iran. In response, Israel shifted its security doctrine after October 7, 2023, moving from deterrence to creating buffer zones in southern Lebanon to keep threats away from its border. These actions led to mass displacement, a severe humanitarian crisis, and intense international legal scrutiny, while regional tensions and diplomatic efforts struggled to contain the conflict.