The Israeli military said on Tuesday it had completed deployment of ground troops along a strategic ridge in southern Lebanon from which Hezbollah could fire anti-tank guided missiles directly at Israeli communities.

The so-called anti-tank line is located several kilometers deep in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah’s anti-tank missiles have an estimated range of around 10 kilometers.

“IDF troops have now completed their deployment along the ‘anti-tank line’ and continue operating in the area to strengthen the forward defensive line and remove the threat to residents of the north,” the military said in a statement.

In recent weeks, the IDF advanced to strategic positions from which the military said Hezbollah could launch attacks on Israel, including the Ras al-Bayada headland, south of the coastal city of Tyre, located around eight kilometers (5 miles) north of Israel’s border.

In the western sector, the Israeli military has been operating near the Litani River — some four kilometers from Israel’s border. And in the central sector, troops have also pushed into villages several kilometers deep into Lebanon.

Israeli officials have said the IDF is establishing a demilitarized “security zone” in southern Lebanon up to the Litani River, and would remain deployed there until the threat of Hezbollah is removed. The buffer zone would be controlled with surveillance and firepower, as well as ground troops in areas deemed strategically necessary, the military has said.

According to a military official briefing reporters, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir defined three lines of defense in southern Lebanon as part of the ground operation and efforts to establish the buffer zone.

They include the first line of Lebanese border villages, where the IDF has operated to remove the threat of a Hezbollah infiltration attack; the second and third lines of villages, from which Hezbollah could launch anti-tank missiles on northern Israel; and the Litani River, located some 20-30 kilometers (some 12-18 miles) from the border in most areas, from which Hezbollah has been carrying out rocket attacks on Israel.

The military official said the IDF is not expected to push deeper beyond the Litani River as part of the ground offensive. Still, the IDF has said that Hezbollah is launching most of its rocket and drone attacks on Israel from north of the Litani River.

The IDF said its buffer zone plan was being coordinated with legal authorities and would soon be presented to the political leadership for approval.

The plan involves clearing villages within around four kilometers of the border of Hezbollah infrastructure, and the IDF would establish forward army positions at strategic locations.

Defense Minister Israel Katz has said he instructed the IDF to raze all buildings in the so-called first line of Lebanese villages close to the Israeli border — except for several Christian communities — to ensure Hezbollah cannot use them to stage attacks on Israel.

Also on Tuesday, the IDF announced that it had deployed a sixth division to southern Lebanon amid the ongoing ground offensive against Hezbollah.

In the past week, the 98th Division, an elite formation of paratroopers and commando units, began “targeted ground operations to additional objectives in southern Lebanon,” the military said.

According to the military, five IDF divisions were now involved in the ground offensive against Hezbollah: the 146th and 162nd pushed into the western sector, and the 91st and 36th have raided the eastern sector.

The military said the 98th Division was operating in areas of southern Lebanon where “operational control has been achieved, to clear the area of terrorists and terror infrastructure.”

In addition, the IDF’s 210th “Bashan” Regional Division remained stationed in the Mount Dov area in the east and has conducted several raids on the Lebanese side of the mountain.

Meanwhile, the IDF on Tuesday bombed another Litani River bridge, which it said was being used by Hezbollah to move operatives and weapons into southern Lebanon.

צה"ל תקף מעבר מרכזי נוסף מעל נהר הליטאני: שבעה מעברים ששימשו את מחבלי ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה הותקפו עד כה צה"ל תקף אתמול מעבר מרכזי נוסף ששימש את מחבלי ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה לנוע מצפון לדרום נהר הליטאני, ולהעברת אמצעי לחימה, רקטות ומשגרים במטרה לקדם מתווי טרור נגד כוחות צה"ל.… pic.twitter.com/gpW8ULgEmJ — צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) April 7, 2026

צה"ל תקף מעבר מרכזי נוסף מעל נהר הליטאני: שבעה מעברים ששימשו את מחבלי ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה הותקפו עד כה

צה"ל תקף אתמול מעבר מרכזי נוסף ששימש את מחבלי ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה לנוע מצפון לדרום נהר הליטאני, ולהעברת אמצעי לחימה, רקטות ומשגרים במטרה לקדם מתווי טרור נגד כוחות צה"ל.… pic.twitter.com/gpW8ULgEmJ

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) April 7, 2026

It marked the seventh river crossing that the military has struck amid the ongoing fighting. There are eight main crossings in total and countless smaller bridges.

“The IDF struck yesterday another central crossing that was used by Hezbollah terrorists to move from north to south of the Litani River, and to transfer weapons, rockets, and launchers to advance terror attacks against IDF troops,” the military said in a statement.

At least 2 wounded as Hezbollah continues rocket fire at north

As the IDF continued to strike targets inside Lebanon, Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets at northern Israel, wounding at least two people on Tuesday.

In Nahariya, a woman in her 20s was lightly hurt following a Hezbollah rocket impact in the northern city.

Magen David Adom says the woman was hit by flying stones following the impact, adding that two others were being treated for acute anxiety.

Some 10 rockets were fired from Lebanon in the attack, with at least one striking a road, causing the injury and damage to nearby cars and homes.

A few hours later, a 36-year-old was injured by shrapnel following a Hezbollah rocket impact in the Galilee town of Meron, MDA said.

The victim was taken to the hospital in good condition, the ambulance service added.

Additionally, a Hezbollah rocket fired from Lebanon on Tuesday afternoon struck a home in the northern city of Kiryat Shmona, according to rescue services. No injuries were reported.

Source: IDF held off on striking Syria-Lebanon crossing after US mediation

Meanwhile, the IDF has refrained from striking a key border crossing between Syria and Lebanon, which it had warned it would days earlier, after both Beirut and Damascus pressed the US on the need to keep it open, a Lebanese source said Tuesday.

The military on April 4 issued a warning for the Masnaa crossing, the main border point between Lebanon and Syria, saying it would strike it “in the near future” because Hezbollah was using it to smuggle weapons.

After Israel’s warning on Saturday, Syria’s border authority said Masnaa was not being used for any military purposes but that it would be closed temporarily to avoid any casualties from a future strike.

Lebanese border officials told Reuters on Sunday that talks were underway to try to spare the crossing.

The Lebanese source said on Tuesday that Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam had been working with Syrian counterparts and had secured a US guarantee that Masnaa would not be struck.

The border was still closed for the time being, the source said.

The IDF did not immediately respond to questions on whether it would refrain from striking the Masnaa crossing as a result of Syrian-Lebanese efforts to mediate.

Israeli public broadcaster Kan had reported on Monday that the US had asked Israel to suspend its attack on Masnaa, citing political reasons.

The Israeli military declined to comment on the Kan report. The US embassy in Lebanon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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