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Lebanon Army Says 3 Soldiers Killed in Israeli Shelling During Commando Operation in East

Israeli tanks gather on the Israeli border with Lebanon, northern Israel, 06 March 2026. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
Israeli tanks gather on the Israeli border with Lebanon, northern Israel, 06 March 2026. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
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Lebanon Army Says 3 Soldiers Killed in Israeli Shelling During Commando Operation in East

Israeli tanks gather on the Israeli border with Lebanon, northern Israel, 06 March 2026. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
Israeli tanks gather on the Israeli border with Lebanon, northern Israel, 06 March 2026. EPA/ATEF SAFADI

Lebanon's military said on Saturday that three soldiers were killed in Israeli shelling during the Israeli army's commando operation in east Lebanon to find the remains of airman Ron Arad, missing since 1986. 

In a statement, the Lebanese military said that "three soldiers and a number of civilians were killed as a result of the violent enemy shelling that accompanied" a commando operation carried out by Israeli forces, followed by "an exchange of fire between the enemy force and locals" in Nabi Sheet. 

Lebanon's health ministry reported earlier on Saturday that at least 16 people were killed in Israeli strikes on the area, while Israel's army said that "no findings" relating to Arad were found. 

Israel's military said Saturday it had carried out an operation in Lebanon to find Arad, but failed to uncover any trace of the navigator.  

"As part of Israeli activities in Lebanon, Israeli special forces operated overnight in an attempt to locate findings related to the missing navigator Ron Arad. No Israeli troop injuries were reported," the Israeli army said in a statement.   

"No findings related to him were located at the search site."   

Hezbollah said earlier Saturday it had confronted Israeli troops that infiltrated an east Lebanon town overnight by helicopter. 

Air force navigator Arad has been missing since he was captured after he ejected from his combat jet over Lebanon in 1986 as the aircraft went down.   

Arad is presumed dead, though his remains have never been returned.   

The Israeli army said in its statement that it "will continue to operate relentlessly, day and night, out of a deep commitment to bringing all of Israel's sons, the fallen and the missing, back home to the State of Israel."   

After news of the Israeli operation emerged, Arad's wife Tami thanked the military but said the lives of soldiers should not be put "at risk" in the hunt for traces of her husband, Israeli media reported.   

In its statement, Hezbollah said its fighters had "observed the infiltration of four Israeli enemy army helicopters from the Syrian direction".   

After landing and disembarking, the advancing troops "were engaged" by a group of Hezbollah fighters as they reached a cemetery in the east Lebanon town of Nabi Sheet, Hezbollah said.   

"The clash escalated after the enemy force was exposed," it added, saying the Israeli troops launched intense strikes before evacuating.   

A Hezbollah official in the Bekaa region, where Nabi Sheet is located, told AFP that the cemetery the Israelis raided belonged to the Shukr family.   

Last month, Lebanese authorities charged four people with kidnapping Ahmad Shukr -- whose brother Hassan is suspected of involvement in the capture of Arad -- on behalf of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency.   

An AFP correspondent in the area heard warplanes and intense gunfire throughout the night.   

Lebanon's east, where Hezbollah holds sway, was subjected to heavy Israeli strikes on Friday, particularly Nabi Sheet, which was struck at least 13 times, according to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA).   

The Lebanese health ministry said at least 16 people have been killed in strikes in the area, with 35 wounded.   

In a separate statement, Hezbollah said it targeted using rockets an "evacuation area" for the Israelis outside Nabi Sheet.   

Israel has launched numerous strikes and sent ground troops into Lebanon since the Iran-backed Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel to avenge the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei. 

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Arab World

Lebanese Army Says Soldier Wounded by Gunfire from Syria

Vehicles line up at Jdeidat Yabous border crossing with Lebanon, amid an increased cross-border movement in Jdeidat Yabous, 45 kilometers west of Damascus, Syria, 03 March 2026. (EPA)
Vehicles line up at Jdeidat Yabous border crossing with Lebanon, amid an increased cross-border movement in Jdeidat Yabous, 45 kilometers west of Damascus, Syria, 03 March 2026. (EPA)
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Lebanese Army Says Soldier Wounded by Gunfire from Syria

Vehicles line up at Jdeidat Yabous border crossing with Lebanon, amid an increased cross-border movement in Jdeidat Yabous, 45 kilometers west of Damascus, Syria, 03 March 2026. (EPA)
Vehicles line up at Jdeidat Yabous border crossing with Lebanon, amid an increased cross-border movement in Jdeidat Yabous, 45 kilometers west of Damascus, Syria, 03 March 2026. (EPA)

Lebanon's military said on Saturday that a soldier was moderately wounded by gunfire coming from Syria a day prior in the country's northeast.

"A Lebanese soldier sustained moderate injuries as a result of gunfire from the Syrian side targeting a Lebanese army post in the Qasr-Hermel area," the military said, adding that "soldiers at the post returned fire".

"An investigation is underway to determine the circumstances of the incident in coordination with the relevant Syrian authorities."

On Friday, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa informed him that Syrian troop building along the border with Lebanon was "solely aimed at strengthening border control and maintaining internal Syrian security", and that similar measures were taken on the border with Iraq.

Arab World

Israel Defense Minister Warns Lebanon to Disarm Hezbollah or Face ‘Heavy Price’

A man inspects the debris of destroyed buildings at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Haret Hreik neighborhood in Beirut's southern suburbs, on March 7, 2026. (AFP)
A man inspects the debris of destroyed buildings at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Haret Hreik neighborhood in Beirut's southern suburbs, on March 7, 2026. (AFP)
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Israel Defense Minister Warns Lebanon to Disarm Hezbollah or Face ‘Heavy Price’

A man inspects the debris of destroyed buildings at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Haret Hreik neighborhood in Beirut's southern suburbs, on March 7, 2026. (AFP)
A man inspects the debris of destroyed buildings at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Haret Hreik neighborhood in Beirut's southern suburbs, on March 7, 2026. (AFP)

Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz warned the Lebanese government on Saturday to disarm Hezbollah or "pay ‌a very ‌heavy price." 

"We (ISRAEL) ‌have ⁠no territorial claims ⁠against Lebanon, but we will not accept a situation ⁠where what ‌existed ‌for many ‌years — firing ‌from Lebanese territory toward the State of ‌Israel — is renewed," Katz said in ⁠a ⁠statement.  

"Therefore, we are turning and warning: act and take action before we act even more." 

The United Nations special coordinator for Lebanon on Saturday urged Lebanon and Israel to enter talks to negotiate an end hostilities after the outbreak of a renewed Israel-Hezbollah war.  

"As bad as things are today, they are set to get even worse," Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said.  

"Talks between Lebanon and Israel can be the game changer needed to save future generations from going, time and again, through the same nightmare".  

In December, Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives engaged in their first direct talks in decades as part of a meeting of a committee monitoring the November 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.  

Lebanon was engulfed by the expanding Middle East war on Monday, after Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel to avenge the death of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli attacks on Iran. 

Arab World

Hezbollah’s Rejection of ‘Surrender’ Stalls Macron Initiative to Halt War

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun receiving former prime ministers Fouad Siniora, Tammam Salam, and Najib Mikati (Lebanese Presidency). 
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun receiving former prime ministers Fouad Siniora, Tammam Salam, and Najib Mikati (Lebanese Presidency). 
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Hezbollah’s Rejection of ‘Surrender’ Stalls Macron Initiative to Halt War

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun receiving former prime ministers Fouad Siniora, Tammam Salam, and Najib Mikati (Lebanese Presidency). 
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun receiving former prime ministers Fouad Siniora, Tammam Salam, and Najib Mikati (Lebanese Presidency). 

French President Emmanuel Macron’s initiative has failed to break the political stalemate surrounding the ongoing war in Lebanon, as Hezbollah rejects what it describes as “surrender” and insists on pressing ahead with the confrontation.

Lebanese and international observers view Hezbollah's fighting as support for Iran in its conflict with Israel and the United States. At the same time, Washington’s continued silence regarding the renewed hostilities in Lebanon has drawn notice.

Lebanese sources familiar with the ongoing contacts said Hezbollah has declined to engage in negotiations after Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri conveyed a call to return to the ceasefire agreement reached in November 2024, which ended the previous round of fighting.

Activists involved in the communications channel quoted senior Hezbollah officials as saying that it was “too early to speak of negotiations.”

Lebanese ministerial sources said President Joseph Aoun informed Macron that any initiative should be presented to Berri, who oversees negotiations on behalf of Hezbollah.

However, visitors to Berri told Asharq Al-Awsat that Macron had only informed him of his intention to send vehicles and equipment to the Lebanese Armed Forces.

Deputy Speaker of Parliament Elias Bou Saab, speaking after meeting the president, referred to “ongoing diplomatic efforts.”

“There are contacts with many parties,” he said. “The media has reported on them, whether French or, in particular, American. But so far we have not reached a breakthrough that we can speak about. The effort is still ongoing, and I believe the contacts made yesterday by the president, as well as the call between the Speaker of Parliament and President Macron, helped reduce attacks that had been planned against Lebanon, including areas that were ultimately not targeted.”

He added: “I can say the diplomatic effort has achieved a measure of success. We must meet these efforts internally with solidarity. Those concerned in Lebanon must also cooperate with the president, the prime minister, and the speaker of parliament so that we can emerge from the current crisis.”

Meanwhile, former prime ministers Najib Mikati, Fouad Siniora, and Tammam Salam visited the president and issued a statement condemning what they described as “the continuing Israeli aggression and crimes against Lebanon and the Lebanese people.”

They voiced support for government decisions affirming that the authority to decide on war and peace must rest exclusively with the state and for enforcing the principle that weapons should be held solely by the Lebanese state across all Lebanese territory. They also called for broad national support for these measures.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, for his part, told Arab and foreign ambassadors during a meeting that decisions on war and peace must remain in the hands of the state. He noted that the government is continuing to work with various international partners to halt Israeli attacks.

Salam reiterated Lebanon’s willingness to negotiate and stressed the need to spare facilities and property from damage amid the ongoing escalation. He emphasized that Lebanon “did not choose this war.”

As diplomatic activity intensified, Foreign Minister Youssef Raji held a phone call with Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, asking Muscat to use its diplomatic influence with the relevant parties to prevent the conflict from being drawn onto Lebanese territory.

Raji also received calls from several European foreign ministers, including Germany’s Johann Wadephul, Ireland’s Helen McEntee, Spain’s José Manuel Albares, Belgium’s Maxime Prévot, and Montenegro’s Ervin Ibrahimović.

The ministers collectively expressed solidarity with Lebanon while welcoming the Lebanese government’s decision to ban Hezbollah’s military and security activities and require the group to surrender its weapons. They also affirmed their readiness to provide the necessary humanitarian assistance.

In turn, Raji expressed deep appreciation for the supportive positions of his counterparts and urged them to mobilize their international contacts to press for an end to the attacks and to spare civilian infrastructure from being targeted.