#Syria #Lebanon #Israel #Hezbollah

1⃣ Rakhleh village, east of Lebanon (southern Syria), as part of efforts to establish field control and link the area to operations through the Beqaa region.
2⃣ Yaafour district, south of Damascus, where an airborne landing operation was conducted and lasted for five hours, with the declared objective of preventing the transfer of advanced weaponry.
Meanwhile, continuous escalation in southern Lebanon through artillery shelling and airstrikes is widely seen as a direct message aimed at forcing the disarmament of Hezbollah.
This escalation comes just hours before the arrival of U.S. envoy Tom Barak to Beirut and Syria today, July 4, in an attempt to consolidate de-escalation agreements and advance the disarmament of militias, amid significant American pressure.
[Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/lebanon-drafts-reply-us-demand-hezbollah-disarm-sources-say-2025-07-01/) reported that U.S. envoy Tom Barak had also visited Beirut earlier on June 19, where he met with Lebanese officials and warned them about the potential for escalation by Hezbollah. He stressed that any intervention by Hezbollah in a war between Israel and Iran would be “a very bad decision.” This news has been circulated internationally across several outlets. Reuters also mentioned that Barak presented a response plan prepared by Lebanese authorities to the U.S. proposal for disarmament. The plan includes the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and a freeze on airstrikes, provided Hezbollah disarms.
[The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/jun/27/israel-closes-crossing-aid-points-gaza-famine-middle-east-crisis-latest-updates-news) linked Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip to escalating regional tensions, pointing to threats of expanded Israeli bombardment on Lebanon, depending on Hezbollah’s decisions.
Axios reported that Tel Aviv’s incursions into southern Syria are primarily aimed at preventing advanced weapons from reaching Hezbollah. These incursions are considered part of a broader operation to impose a “safe zone” deep inside Syrian territory, including airborne landings near Damascus (Yaafour) and ground incursions near the Lebanese border town of Rakhleh in the Beqaa region.