Levant in May 2026: the most important developments in security
Security in the Levant in May 2026 centered on the escalating fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, which continued despite a ceasefire. On 6 May Israel struck Beirut for the first time since the truce, targeting a senior commander of Hezbollah's Radwan Force and killing at least nine people. Strikes followed on the next day. Lebanese officials reported at least 39 killed in one day on 9 May, and Israel said it had struck more than 1,100 targets since the ceasefire began. On 12 May Israeli forces crossed the Litani River. The ceasefire was extended on 15 May, and Israel launched new strikes on southern Lebanon within hours. On 26 May Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered intensified strikes, and Hezbollah launched its largest drone attack on northern Israel. On 28 May Israel struck Beirut's southern suburbs and declared large parts of southern Lebanon a combat zone. On 31 May the Israeli military captured the Beaufort Ridge outpost. The overall death toll in Lebanon was reported at 3,000 by 19 May.
Hezbollah's fibre-optic drones were a persistent theme. Reports said they bypassed Israeli electronic warfare, and Israel deployed protective netting and planned a drone factory. Drone and mortar fire killed several Israeli soldiers, and evacuation warnings for villages in southern Lebanon recurred through the month.
In Syria, Jordan carried out airstrikes on drug and arms smuggling sites in Sweida province on 3 May. Explosions and a car bomb were reported in Damascus, and a grenade attack killed a Syrian cleric near the Sayyida Zaynab shrine. Authorities said they found remnants of a chemical weapons program from the Assad era and detained 18 suspects. Turkey captured 10 Islamic State militants in northern Syria on 23 May. Several Australian women who had lived in Syrian camps were charged after returning home.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
Click a day in the chart above for that day's brief.