Lebanese Army Withdraws From Kfar Tebnit Base as Israeli Troops Push for Strategic Hill
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · Jun 13
Lebanese Army Withdraws From Kfar Tebnit Base as Israeli Troops Push for Strategic Hill
3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Jun 13
Summary
A Lebanese military official said the army pulled out of its Kfar Tebnit barracks after Israeli forces advanced into the area on Saturday.
Israeli troops were likely trying to seize Ali Taher hill, a position overlooking much of Nabatiyeh and key connecting roads that Israel held until its 2000 withdrawal from Lebanon.
About 20 locations, including Nabatiyeh, received Israeli evacuation warnings as airstrikes and shelling hit nearby villages; one strike in Deir al-Zahrani killed two people.
Hezbollah said it attacked Israeli troops near Kfar Tebnit with two drones, while a later Israeli drone strike seriously wounded a Lebanese soldier on the Nabatiyeh-Kfar Rumman road.
The advance came as U.S. and Iran worked toward a deal to end the regional war "on all fronts, including Lebanon," amid a ceasefire that has largely collapsed and fighting that has killed more than 3,700 people in Lebanon.
Is Israel's advance into Lebanon a final military push for peace, or a permanent redrawing of the region's map?
As diplomats debate a ceasefire, who will protect the civilians and rescue workers being targeted on the ground?
Can a U.S.-Iran deal halt the war while their forces directly clash in the Strait of Hormuz?
2026 Lebanon-Israel Conflict: Army Withdrawal, Israeli Offensive, and the Collapse of Ceasefire Efforts
Overview
On June 13, 2026, the Lebanese Army made a strategic withdrawal from its base in Kfar Tebnit due to a rapid Israeli military advance and the escalating intensity of conflict in southern Lebanon. This decision was driven by the urgent need to protect Lebanese Armed Forces personnel from the increasingly untenable risk of being caught in crossfire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah. Severe military action and widespread airstrikes, especially around Nabatiyeh, created a hazardous environment, making the Army’s continued presence unsustainable and leading to a significant shift in the balance of power in the region.