The yellow line: the new border between Lebanon and Israel?
Benjamin Netanyahu's army occupies a strip of about 8 kilometers, with fifty localities from which it has expelled the residents
BeirutThere are lines that precede their own existence. In southern Lebanon, one of them does not appear on any map, has not been validated by any agreement, nor recognized by the United Nations. However, it already imposes its logic on the ground, on displacements, and on destruction. The Israelis call it the "yellow line". And, as often happens in this region, what is born as a provisional military device tends to become permanent.
Between the Israeli border and the first hills of southern Lebanon, the space has changed. Entire villages are now empty or partially destroyed, roads are cut, access is prohibited. The line does not appear on official maps, but it already structures the geography of the conflict. It is unilateral. According to various Lebanese military sources, it extends between five and eight kilometers into the country's territory, with greater advances at some points. It would cover about 500 km² and affect about fifty localities. Part of these villages is now uninhabitable. "It is not a temporary line, it is a way to control the territory in the long term," explains Abdel Salam Ahmad, from the Center for Strategic Studies in Beirut.
Since Israel's withdrawal in 2000, the so-called Blue Line was the reference. The yellow line, on the other hand, has no status. It overlaps, overflows it in some sections, and redefines de facto the border.
To understand its logic, one must look at the terrain. The progression does not follow a straight path. It relies on heights, on dominant points. From west to east, Israeli positions are strung along the hills, from the coast to the foothills of Kfarchouba. Between these points, the intermediate areas have been largely razed. "They advance through the hills. Between the positions, they destroy," summarizes retired Colonel George El Khoury. The result is an empty space. In this strip, the return of inhabitants who were expelled by Israeli incursions is very difficult. The destruction, combined with access restrictions, has transformed entire areas into no man's land. "It is a space where civilian life ceases to be possible," adds Abdel Salam.
The Blue Helmets, powerless
On the ground, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) remains deployed along the Blue Line, with no real capacity to influence this new configuration. The Lebanese army, which had maintained positions around this line for the past year, has been forced to fall back further north after the outbreak of the conflict and the Israeli advance, and has de facto been left out of this new control strip.
de facto of this new control strip.
In recent days, a further step has been taken. The Israeli army has released a map that delimits the contours of this zone for the first time, presented as an "advanced defense line". The route goes beyond the simple border strip. It includes dozens of localities, from Naqoura to Khiam, and extends, in some places, north of the Litani.
The projection does not stop here. The document also suggests an extension towards the sea, in front of Ras al-Bayada, and towards the east, in the direction of Anti-Lebanon. A representation that points less to a specific measure than to a desire to inscribe this line in time. "When a line appears on a map, it ceases to be provisional," observes retired General George El Khoury.
On the Lebanese side, the rejection is widespread. The deputy of the Amal movement, Ali Hassan Khalil, denounces the systematic destruction of villages and speaks of "war crimes." He accuses Israel of daily violating the truce to impose a new reality on the ground. At Hezbollah, the discourse is equally clear. Deputy Hassan Fadlallah states that his party supports the continuation of the truce, but demands the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces. He further warns that this "yellow line" will be "broken" by the resistance, which will reject any attempt to consolidate it on the ground.
This rejection also extends to the diplomatic level. Hezbollah opposes any direct negotiation with Israel, considering that it could grant it legitimacy, at a time when, as it denounces, it continues to impose faits accomplis. Nevertheless, the process is ongoing. New negotiations are scheduled this week in Washington between Lebanese and Israeli officials, with the stated objective of ending hostilities, achieving Israeli withdrawal, and deploying the Lebanese army to the internationally recognized border. The Lebanese delegation will be led by former ambassador Simon Karam, as confirmed by the president.
In this context, chronology matters. The yellow line precedes the talks. "Israel negotiates from a reality it has already created on the ground," analyzes Abdel Salam. "The question is no longer just where the border is, but what is being done with this new line," he adds. It remains to be seen whether it will be consolidated or disappear with an eventual agreement. In a region marked by lines that over time become borders, and are once again questioned, its future will depend on the ability to impose it or reverse it on the ground.