Hezbollah and Israeli Forces Exchange Attacks Amid Extended Ceasefire in Southern Lebanon

Apr 24, 2026, 13:56

Introduction

Hezbollah announced a drone strike on Israeli troops in southern Lebanon on Friday, citing retaliation for Israeli ceasefire violations, while Israeli forces continued military operations in the region. The incidents occurred shortly after the United States brokered a three-week extension of a previously established ceasefire.

Main Body

Hezbollah issued a statement on Friday claiming that its forces launched a drone attack targeting Israeli soldiers in the town of Qantara, located in the Marjayoun District, and reported a direct hit. The group characterized the operation as a response to Israeli strikes on civilians, specifically referencing an airstrike earlier that day on the town of Touline, which Lebanese authorities stated resulted in two fatalities. In a separate statement, Hezbollah also claimed to have shot down an Israeli Hermes 450 drone near the Housh area adjacent to Tyre, using a surface-to-air missile. Israeli military actions in southern Lebanon persisted on Friday, with the Lebanese National News Agency reporting that Israeli warplanes struck a house in Touline, followed by artillery shelling in the vicinity. Additional airstrikes were directed at the town of Kherbet Selm. These operations occurred hours after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon had been extended by three weeks, following discussions at the ambassadorial level at the White House. The initial ten-day ceasefire, which took effect on April 16, had been scheduled to expire on Sunday. According to Israeli Army Radio, an Israeli soldier sustained injuries from an explosive-laden drone attack on Thursday in southern Lebanon. The broadcaster did not provide further details on the soldier's condition, and the Israeli army had not issued an official statement regarding the incident. Hezbollah had previously stated on Thursday evening that it targeted Israeli army positions and vehicles with rockets and drones in retaliation for what it described as ongoing ceasefire violations by Tel Aviv. Data published on the Israeli army’s website indicates that 735 soldiers have been wounded since the commencement of hostilities with Iran on February 28 and Hezbollah’s involvement beginning March 2. Israeli forces continue to occupy areas in southern Lebanon, with some territories held for decades and others acquired during recent conflicts. The current offensive has seen Israeli forces advance approximately 10 kilometers into southern Lebanese territory. Lebanese authorities report that expanded Israeli attacks since March 2 have resulted in over 2,200 deaths and the displacement of more than one million people.

Conclusion

The exchange of attacks between Hezbollah and Israeli forces continues despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire extension, with both sides citing violations by the other. The situation remains volatile, with ongoing military operations and reported casualties on both sides.

Vocabulary Learning

ambassadorial
relating to an ambassador or the rank of ambassador大使級的；大使的
Example:Discussions were held at the ambassadorial level at the White House.
brokered
arranged or negotiated (a deal, agreement, etc.)促成、斡旋（協議等）
Example:The United States brokered a three-week extension of the ceasefire.
commencement
the beginning or start of something開始；開端
Example:since the commencement of hostilities with Iran on February 28
displacement
the forced movement of people from their home or region流離失所；遷移
Example:The attacks resulted in the displacement of more than one million people.
hostilities
acts of warfare; fighting敵對行動；戰爭行為
Example:since the commencement of hostilities with Iran on February 28

Sentence Learning

The group characterized the operation as a response to Israeli strikes on civilians, specifically referencing an airstrike earlier that day on the town of Touline, which Lebanese authorities stated resulted in two fatalities.
Main clause: 'The group characterized the operation as a response to Israeli strikes on civilians'. Followed by a participial phrase 'specifically referencing an airstrike earlier that day on the town of Touline' modifying the main clause. Then a non-restrictive relative clause 'which Lebanese authorities stated resulted in two fatalities' modifying 'airstrike'. Within the relative clause, 'Lebanese authorities stated' is the main verb, and 'resulted in two fatalities' is a reduced noun clause (omitting 'that') acting as the object of 'stated'. This is an advanced feature: a relative clause with an embedded reporting verb and a reduced that-clause.主句為「The group characterized the operation as a response to Israeli strikes on civilians」，其後接分詞短語「specifically referencing an airstrike earlier that day on the town of Touline」修飾主句，再後接非限制性關係從句「which Lebanese authorities stated resulted in two fatalities」修飾「airstrike」。關係從句中，「Lebanese authorities stated」為主要動詞，而「resulted in two fatalities」為省略了「that」的名詞性從句，充當「stated」的賓語。此為高級結構：關係從句內嵌引述動詞及省略連詞的從句。
Israeli military actions in southern Lebanon persisted on Friday, with the Lebanese National News Agency reporting that Israeli warplanes struck a house in Touline, followed by artillery shelling in the vicinity.
Main clause: 'Israeli military actions in southern Lebanon persisted on Friday'. Then an absolute construction introduced by 'with': 'with the Lebanese National News Agency reporting that Israeli warplanes struck a house in Touline'. This 'with' phrase contains a present participle 'reporting' and a that-clause as its object. Then a past participle phrase 'followed by artillery shelling in the vicinity' modifying the previous event. The absolute construction adds descriptive detail, typical of advanced writing.主句為「Israeli military actions in southern Lebanon persisted on Friday」，其後接由「with」引導的獨立結構：「with the Lebanese National News Agency reporting that Israeli warplanes struck a house in Touline」。此「with」短語包含現在分詞「reporting」及其賓語從句。再後接過去分詞短語「followed by artillery shelling in the vicinity」修飾前文事件。獨立結構為高級寫作特徵。
Hezbollah had previously stated on Thursday evening that it targeted Israeli army positions and vehicles with rockets and drones in retaliation for what it described as ongoing ceasefire violations by Tel Aviv.
Main clause: 'Hezbollah had previously stated on Thursday evening that it targeted Israeli army positions and vehicles with rockets and drones'. The that-clause is the object of 'stated'. Then a complex prepositional phrase 'in retaliation for what it described as ongoing ceasefire violations by Tel Aviv'. Within that, 'what it described as' is a nominal relative clause (free relative) acting as the object of the preposition 'for'. 'what' is the relative pronoun, and 'it described as' is the verb phrase with 'as' complement. This is a sophisticated structure: a free relative clause embedded in a prepositional phrase.主句為「Hezbollah had previously stated on Thursday evening that it targeted Israeli army positions and vehicles with rockets and drones」，其中that從句為「stated」的賓語。其後接複雜介詞短語「in retaliation for what it described as ongoing ceasefire violations by Tel Aviv」。短語中，「what it described as」為名詞性關係從句（自由關係從句），充當介詞「for」的賓語。此為高級結構：介詞短語內嵌自由關係從句。
Data published on the Israeli army’s website indicates that 735 soldiers have been wounded since the commencement of hostilities with Iran on February 28 and Hezbollah’s involvement beginning March 2.
Main clause: 'Data indicates that 735 soldiers have been wounded'. The subject 'Data' is modified by a reduced relative clause 'published on the Israeli army’s website' (past participle phrase). The that-clause contains a complex time adverbial: 'since the commencement of hostilities with Iran on February 28 and Hezbollah’s involvement beginning March 2'. This adverbial uses parallel structure: 'the commencement of hostilities... and Hezbollah’s involvement beginning...' where 'beginning' is a present participle modifying 'involvement'. High lexical density and parallelism.主句為「Data indicates that 735 soldiers have been wounded」。主語「Data」由過去分詞短語「published on the Israeli army’s website」修飾（縮減關係從句）。that從句包含複雜時間狀語：「since the commencement of hostilities with Iran on February 28 and Hezbollah’s involvement beginning March 2」。此狀語運用平行結構：「the commencement of hostilities... and Hezbollah’s involvement beginning...」，其中「beginning」為現在分詞修飾「involvement」。詞彙密度高且具平行結構。
The current offensive has seen Israeli forces advance approximately 10 kilometers into southern Lebanese territory.
Main clause: 'The current offensive has seen Israeli forces advance approximately 10 kilometers into southern Lebanese territory.' The verb 'has seen' is a perception verb used metaphorically. It is followed by an object 'Israeli forces' and a bare infinitive 'advance' (without 'to'). This structure 'see + object + bare infinitive' is typical of perception verbs but used figuratively here. The sentence also includes an adverbial phrase 'approximately 10 kilometers into southern Lebanese territory'. This is a compact, sophisticated construction.主句為「The current offensive has seen Israeli forces advance approximately 10 kilometers into southern Lebanese territory」。動詞「has seen」為感知動詞的隱喻用法，後接賓語「Israeli forces」及不帶「to」的不定式「advance」。此為「see + 賓語 + 原形動詞」結構，常見於感知動詞，但此處為比喻用法。句子亦包含狀語短語「approximately 10 kilometers into southern Lebanese territory」。結構緊湊而高級。