Israel launches ground incursion into southern Lebanon, opening new front amid Iran war

2026-03-03 - 08:42

The Israeli military announced Tuesday that its forces have initiated a ground incursion into southern Lebanon, aiming to establish what it terms a "security zone" along the border. In an official statement, the army said the 91st Division is operating at "a number of strategic points" in Lebanese territory as part of what it called a "forward defense operation for the northern towns." The operation seeks to create an additional security layer for Israeli border communities through large-scale strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure. Hezbollah Retaliates Hezbollah immediately responded to the incursion, claiming responsibility for rocket and drone attacks targeting three Israeli military bases in northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights. The exchange marks a significant escalation of hostilities on Israel's northern border, opening a second front alongside the ongoing campaign against Iran. The incursion follows months of escalating cross-border fire and represents the first major Israeli ground operation in Lebanon since the 2006 war. Regional Conflict Expands Tuesday's developments come as the broader regional conflict ignited by Saturday's US-Israeli strikes on Iran continues to expand. Those strikes killed several top Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, prompting Tehran to retaliate with drone and missile attacks targeting Israel and Gulf countries hosting US assets. The simultaneous escalation on multiple fronts raises fears of a wider conflagration drawing in additional actors across the Middle East.