The Israeli military said it started a 'limited ground operation' in Lebanon, but political leaders have signaled more ambitious plans. Defense Minister Israel Katz said he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the IDF to destroy terror infrastructure in nearby Lebanese border villages. Katz warned that homes in border villages will be destroyed according to the model used in Rafah and Beit Hanoun in Gaza.
An Axios report quoted anonymous sources saying the IDF was going to take over all of southern Lebanon in the largest invasion since 2006. However, top IDF officials pushed back against the idea that a decision has been made to reoccupy all of southern Lebanon, stating the current operation is not as large as the fall 2024 campaign. The current operation does not amount to a full-scale invasion along the lines of the 2024 campaign, as forces are not advancing all the way to the Litani River at this stage.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the Litani River should be Israel's new border with Lebanon. Katz said the IDF would control the area up to the Litani River, including remaining bridges, and eliminate Radwan forces. Intense ground clashes are occurring in Khiam, Aita al-Chaab, and other border towns.
Israeli troops have advanced quickly, reaching Bayada, 8km from Tyre, earlier than in the 2024 war. The Lebanese army withdrew from its positions in Rmeish and Ain Ebel as Israeli troops advanced. The towns of Rmeish and Ain Ebel are Christian-majority and had been mostly spared from strikes.
The army is severely short-staffed and 'going to collapse on itself'.
CIR verified eight pieces of content from 7 March 2026 relating to Israeli airstrikes and an alleged IDF special forces operation in Nabi Chit, eastern Lebanon. BBC News reported that the operation in Nabi Chit was linked to an attempt to recover the remains of missing Israeli navigator Ron Arad. Lebanese authorities reported significant casualties associated with the Nabi Chit incident, but CIR was unable to independently verify casualty figures.
Israeli operations are extending beyond southern border areas into densely populated urban environments. On 7 March 2026, the IDF's Arabic Spokesperson shared an evacuation order urging residents to evacuate immediately north of the Litani River. CIR verified that the incident in Ansar occurred north of the Litani River, in the area which civilians were directed towards.
The escalation has caused a severe humanitarian crisis. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, as of 9 March 2026, the escalation has resulted in 486 deaths and 1,313 injuries. More than 1,000 people have been killed in Lebanon since the escalation began.
The war has killed around 2,300 people in Lebanon, including hundreds of women and children. Lebanon Disaster Risk Management authorities reported 538 active collective shelters housing approximately 119,700 IDPs, while 667,831 individuals have self-registered as displaced. Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese civilians have been displaced by the conflict.
The Haredi exemption is symptomatic of a wider problem: Israel's democratic culture is under assault.
The Israeli military has demolished entire villages using mass remote detonations. The tactic of mass destruction of homes is described as 'domicide' by academics. The Israeli military has struck medical centres and emergency workers.
Residents of border villages express despair and feel like refugees after seeing their homes destroyed. Lebanon's deputy prime minister expressed fears the territory could create a new humanitarian crisis like Gaza. Human Rights Watch said Israel's actions could amount to forced displacement and wanton destruction, which are war crimes.
Israeli military spokesperson Maj Doron Spielman said every home in southern Lebanon is a command center. Amnesty advisor Mariam Kirollos said it is clear Israel does not intend to leave Lebanon for a long time. The Lebanese government has proposed direct talks with Israel but wants fighting to end first.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun offered to hold direct negotiations with Israel. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar denied any talks were planned. Lebanese officials plan to raise the issue of widespread demolitions in ceasefire talks with Israel in Washington.
What happened in Gaza is only the beginning and a 'culture of impunity' has spread.
The Lebanese government reaffirmed its commitment to disarm Hezbollah. The Lebanese government condemned Hezbollah's missile launch at Israel. The Lebanese government deployed troops in southern Lebanon and dismantled over 500 Hezbollah positions before the war.
The agreement that ended Lebanon's civil war called for disarmament of all armed groups, but Hezbollah kept its weapons. Successive Lebanese governments refused to confront Hezbollah, fearing civil war. Israel killed most of Hezbollah's top leaders in 2024, weakening the group.
Lebanese President Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam pledged to disarm Hezbollah. Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel on March 2, triggering the current escalation. Hezbollah views the latest war as an existential struggle.
Hezbollah styled the war as one of survival for Lebanon, defending against Israeli airstrikes. Hezbollah justified its attacks by pointing to Israeli destruction of houses. Most of Hezbollah's rocket fire into Israel has originated from north of the Litani River.
The Litani River should be Israel's new border with Lebanon.
Hezbollah has large weapons caches in the Bekaa valley. The IDF said 85% to 90% of Hezbollah's pre-2023 rocket arsenal has been destroyed. Before the war, Hezbollah had more than 150,000 rockets.
Hezbollah's move to drag Lebanon into war was deeply unpopular outside its constituency. Israel's military chief of staff General Eyal Zamir warned the army is severely short-staffed and 'going to collapse on itself'. Zamir estimates manpower shortage at around 15,000 soldiers, including 8,000 combat troops.
Ultra-Orthodox Jews (Haredim) are exempt from compulsory military service, contributing to troop shortages. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refrained from revoking the Haredi exemption due to coalition politics. Two ultra-Orthodox parties sit in the current Israeli government coalition.
5 children per woman. Israel's mandatory military service was reduced from 36 to 32 months in 2015, contributing to manpower shortage. Reservists complain they are insufficiently compensated.
The territory could create a new humanitarian crisis like Gaza.
Former ambassador Eli Barnavi said the Haredi exemption is symptomatic of a wider problem: Israel's democratic culture is under assault. Major General (res) Yaakov Amidror said the army is not going to collapse and there is no recruitment problem in fighting units. The war is unfolding amid broader regional turmoil.
Netanyahu said the Iran war is the fulfillment of a '40 year dream'. S. S.
bases. The war has upended oil markets and halted shipments across the world. Lebanon stayed out of the confrontation between Israel and Iran over Iran's nuclear programme.
Hezbollah condemned Israel's attacks and the US strikes in Iran but did not engage militarily. The UK recognized the state of Palestine in September 2025 and upgraded the Palestinian mission to embassy status in January 2026. In November 2023, staff at the Palestinian mission reported multiple attacks and death threats.
The Met Police investigated the attacks as 'hate incidents'. In November 2025, masked activists approached the embassy. Palestine's ambassador to the UK Husam Zomlot warned that what happened in Gaza is only the beginning and a 'culture of impunity' has spread.
The 26 November 2024 cessation-of-hostilities arrangement between Israel and Lebanon has continued to hold despite violations. The arrangement stated that the IDF would withdraw south of the Blue Line and the LAF would deploy south of the Litani River. It established that Israel will not carry out offensive military operations against Lebanese targets and Lebanon will prevent Hezbollah from conducting operations against Israel.
According to Israeli media reports, the US bilaterally provided additional guarantees to Israel, including recognising Israel's right to respond to Hezbollah threats. Since the arrangement, Israel has carried out airstrikes in Lebanese territory on numerous occasions, saying it was targeting Hezbollah members and weapons depots. Since 2 March 2026, hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah have intensified significantly across Lebanon, with sustained Israeli airstrikes, expanding ground activity, and civilian displacement.
CIR verified 99 Israeli airstrikes and their aftermath across Lebanon between 2 and 9 March, including 41 incidents in Beirut. A 10-day ceasefire began on Friday, but both sides have carried out strikes since. The exact scale and intended duration of Israel's ground operation remain unclear.
The number of casualties since March 2 is disputed, with figures ranging from 486 to over 1,000. It is also uncertain whether the November 2024 cessation-of-hostilities arrangement is still in effect or has completely collapsed.