Israel admits that 4 of its soldiers  were wounded by an explosive device explosion in southern Lebanon

On Sunday  , May 17,  the Israeli army admitted that four of its members were wounded by an explosive device during what it described as a "field operation" in southern Lebanon.

An IDF statement said one soldier was seriously wounded, while one officer was moderately wounded, as well as a combat officer and another soldier were lightly wounded.

The army added that the wounded were taken to hospital, while the extent of the casualties could not be determined from independent sources due to the obfuscation imposed by the Israeli forces on their losses as a result of mutual military actions with Lebanese Hezbollah.

Hezbollah targets Israeli forces and vehicles in the south

On the other hand, Hezbollah announced the implementation of two operations against the Israeli army in the towns of Rishaf and Bayada in southern Lebanon, confirming that a gathering of vehicles and soldiers was targeted by rockets, in addition to targeting an Israeli bulldozer with a "swooping balloon" and achieving direct hits.

The party said in a statement that its operations were in response to Israel's "bloody violations" of the ceasefire agreement, which resulted  in "martyrs and wounded among civilians," as it put it.

The Israeli military had earlier acknowledged that rockets and drones had fallen near its forces invading the south, claiming that there were no casualties.

Israeli source: Destruction of all Hezbollah weapons is "impossible"

An Israeli security source said that Tel Aviv is unable to completely destroy Hezbollah's arsenal even if it takes control of southern Lebanon, noting that the group's attack drones have become a "deadly threat" that is difficult to intercept.

According to the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, the source explained that the security establishment believes that weakening the party is possible through assassinations and targeting of infrastructure, but there is no radical solution to end the threat.

He added that the army is deploying protection nets at a cost of up to half a million shekels to limit the damage to the drones, but stressed that these means are "not a solution."

He stressed that "military action alone is not enough", and that what is needed is a political breakthrough alongside military deterrence, because the ongoing fighting "does not guarantee that the threat will be removed from the towns in the north".

Israel's economy contracted by 3.3% in the first quarter due to the war

Official data showed that the Israeli economy contracted by 3.3% in the first quarter of 2026, according to preliminary estimates of GDP.

The Central Statistics Department said the decline mainly reflects the economic effects of the war against Iran, noting that GDP per capita fell by 4.5%, an indicator reflecting a decline in the standard of living.

Private consumption spending fell by 4.7%, while security spending rose by 9% due to military operations.

This contraction follows growth of 2.9% in the fourth quarter of 2025, amid a broad Israeli blackout on the economic and human toll of the war.