By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Hezbollah said it forced Israeli troops to retreat from Hadatha as casualties mounted from attacks on southern Lebanon.

Key Developments

• Hezbollah forces an Israeli unit to withdraw from Hadatha after destroying military vehicles and targeting troop concentrations.
• Lebanon’s Health Ministry said four people were killed and 127 wounded in Israeli attacks near Jabal Amel Hospital.
• Israeli media acknowledged growing difficulties in countering Hezbollah’s explosive drones, which continue to inflict losses on Israeli forces.

Hezbollah Forces Israeli Withdrawal

Hezbollah announced a series of operations against Israeli occupation forces in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, stating that it forced an Israeli force to retreat from the town of Hadatha.

The group also said it destroyed military vehicles and tanks in nearby combat zones, as Lebanese health authorities reported a sharp rise in casualties from Israeli attacks near a hospital in Tyre.

According to Hezbollah, fighters targeted multiple Israeli military vehicles near Zawtar al-Sharqiya using Ababil attack drones throughout the morning.

The movement said an Israeli Namer armored vehicle was struck and set ablaze at 7:40 a.m., followed by a second vehicle of the same type at 8:10 a.m.

A Merkava tank was then targeted at 9:00 a.m., with Hezbollah asserting it was seen burning after the strike. Another Namer vehicle was reportedly hit an hour later.

The attacks form part of what Hezbollah has increasingly described as a war of attrition aimed at preventing Israeli forces from establishing secure positions in southern Lebanon.

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Battle for Hadatha

The most significant development reported by Hezbollah involved fighting around the town of Hadatha.

The movement said it destroyed a Merkava tank in the Baloua area shortly after midnight, describing it as the third tank targeted during efforts to repel an Israeli force attempting to advance into the town.

Hezbollah stated that between 10:00 p.m. Monday and 3:00 a.m. Tuesday it repeatedly struck Israeli troop concentrations in Baloua, Al-Qanatir and Al-Malaab using rocket barrages and artillery fire.

According to the movement, the attacks ultimately forced Israeli troops to halt their advance and withdraw. During the reported withdrawal, Hezbollah said it detonated an explosive device against an Israeli military vehicle.

The movement added that Israeli forces subsequently launched intense airstrikes and artillery bombardment to cover their retreat toward the town of Rashaf.

The announcement came one day after Israel acknowledged the death of a military officer holding the rank of captain and the wounding of seven others, including senior officers, in a Hezbollah drone attack.

مشاهد دمار في بلدة الدوير من جراء عدوان إسرائيلي استهدفها، فيما لا تزال أعمال رفع الأنقاض والبحث عن الضحايا مستمرة.#لبنان #الميادين_لبنان pic.twitter.com/18XINfQewn

— الميادين لبنان (@mayadeenlebanon) June 2, 2026

Hospital Attack Toll Rises

Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Health Ministry announced that Israeli attacks carried out Monday near Jabal Amel Hospital in Tyre killed four people and wounded 127 others.

Among the injured were 39 hospital employees, including four doctors, 27 nurses and eight administrative workers.

The ministry said four of the wounded remain in critical condition and are receiving treatment in intensive care units. It added that the hospital suffered extensive damage across multiple floors and departments, as well as in parking facilities.

In a statement, the ministry praised hospital staff for continuing to provide medical services despite what it described as unprecedented danger and violence. It characterized the attack as another example of Israel disregarding international laws and conventions protecting civilians and medical facilities.

Israeli attacks continued elsewhere across southern Lebanon, with strikes reported in Nabatieh, Mefdoun, Qleileh, Tebnine, Harouf, Bafliyeh and Al-Haniyah.

Earlier in the day, civil defense teams recovered six bodies and rescued three wounded people from the rubble of a residential building in Marwaniyeh, near Sidon.

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Israeli War Debate

As fighting intensified on the ground, criticism of Israel’s Lebanon strategy appeared to be growing inside Israel itself.

The newspaper Haaretz described recent threats by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz to bomb Beirut’s southern suburbs as “hollow,” arguing that they failed to reflect realities on the battlefield.

The paper questioned claims that Israel had achieved strategic gains in southern Lebanon and pointed to widening skepticism within Israel regarding official statements about the war.

Particular attention was given to Hezbollah’s growing drone campaign.

According to Haaretz, Israeli military sources acknowledge continuing difficulties in finding effective technological and defensive solutions to explosive drones, particularly those guided by fiber-optic systems.

The newspaper noted that six Israeli soldiers have been killed and dozens wounded in separate incidents over the past ten days, many involving explosive drones.

The report argued that Hezbollah has successfully identified and exploited a significant weakness in Israeli defenses, allowing it to continue inflicting losses despite Israel’s expanding military operations in southern Lebanon.

(Israeli Media, Military Media, Al Mayadeen, PC)