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_This article was originally published byTruthout on Mar. 16, 2026. It is shared here under a __Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license._
Israel announced on Monday that it is expanding its ground in southern Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah as Israel’s defense minister pledges that “hundreds of thousands” of people already forcibly displaced by Israeli attacks “will not return” for the indefinite future.
In a statement, Israeli forces said that soldiers are carrying out “limited and targeted ground operations” in southern Lebanon. The purpose is to “establish and strengthen a forward defensive posture … to create an additional layer of security for residents of northern Israel,” the statement claims, ignoring that Hezbollah has maintained in previous conflicts that it would not retaliate against Israel if Israeli forces withdrew from southern Lebanon.
_Axios_ reported last week that Israel is planning a massive expansion of its ground invasion of Lebanon with the goal of seizing the entire area south of the Litani River. This area is protected under a UN Security Council resolution as part of a decades-old ceasefire agreement, and makes up about 8 percent of the area of the country.
A senior Israeli official told _Axios_ the military is “going to do what we did in Gaza.”
Israel and Hezbollah reached a ceasefire agreement in late 2024, but Israel violated it over 10,000 times in the first year, UN officials said. Now, Israel has unilaterally ended the ceasefire — though some argue Israel never adhered to it in the first place — and severely escalated bombardments and forced displacement in Lebanon, as the world focuses on Israel and the U.S.’s horrific war on Iran.
In just the past two weeks, Israel has killed over 880 people in Lebanon, including over 100 children and dozens of health care workers, according to the country’s health ministry.
Israel has bombed residences, health care centers, and other civilian infrastructure, including in the capital of Beirut. The attacks have created a “humanitarian catastrophe,” as one UN official warned, forcing thousands to take shelter in makeshift shelters or on the streets. The UN says that Israel has forcibly displaced 800,000 people thus far.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz pledged on Monday to continue Israel’s displacement campaign.
“Hundreds of thousands of Shi’ite residents of southern Lebanon who have evacuated or are evacuating their homes in southern Lebanon and Beirut will not return to areas south of the Litani line until the safety of northern residents is ensured,” referring to northern Israel, Katz said in a statement.
_Reuters_ reports that, over the weekend, Israeli forces surrounded the key town of Khiam, in southern Lebanon, close to the border of Israel and Syria’s Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
The town is on a hilltop that can oversee large swaths of the area, and is situated near the choke point where the demarcation of southern Lebanon by the Litani River and the “Blue Line” that establishes Lebanon’s southern border almost meet. Analysts say that Israel could use the town strategically to advance military occupation, potentially using it to cut off communication between parts of the occupied area.
Some residents of Lebanon, already having faced years of bombardments from Israel, say they fear that Israel will carry out an extended occupation like its 18-year occupation of Lebanon that lasted from 1982 to 2000.
“I feel like this is preparation for an occupation, and I’m afraid history will repeat itself,” said Iman Ibrahim, a resident of Blida, a town in south Lebanon, to _The New York Times_. “Everything we used to hear from our grandparents about occupation, we’re living it now.”
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# Israel launches ‘targeted’ invasions of Lebanon as world focuses on Iran war
by Sharon Zhang, The Real News Network
March 17, 2026
<h1>Israel launches ‘targeted’ invasions of Lebanon as world focuses on Iran war</h1> <p class="byline">by Sharon Zhang, The Real News Network <br />March 17, 2026</p> <div class="wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile" style="grid-template-columns:33% auto"> <figure class="wp-block-media-text__media"><img src="https://therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/truthout-logo.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-277549 size-full" /></figure> <div class="wp-block-media-text__content"> <p><em>This article was originally published by <a href="https://truthout.org/articles/israel-launches-targeted-invasions-of-lebanon-as-world-focuses-on-iran-war/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Truthout</a> on Mar. 16, 2026. It is shared here under a <em> </em><a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)</a> license.</em></p> </p></div> </div> <p class="has-drop-cap">Israel announced on Monday that it is expanding its ground in southern Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah as Israel’s defense minister pledges that “hundreds of thousands” of people already forcibly displaced by Israeli attacks “will not return” for the indefinite future.</p> <p>In a statement, <a href="https://x.com/IDF/status/2033425293814235430" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Israeli forces said</a> that soldiers are carrying out “limited and targeted ground operations” in southern Lebanon. The purpose is to “establish and strengthen a forward defensive posture … to create an additional layer of security for residents of northern Israel,” the statement claims, ignoring that Hezbollah <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/6/hezbollah-chief-says-wont-disarm-until-israel-leaves-southern-lebanon" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">has maintained</a> in previous conflicts that it would not retaliate against Israel if Israeli forces withdrew from southern Lebanon.</p> <p><em>Axios</em> reported last week that Israel is planning a massive expansion of its ground invasion of Lebanon with the goal of <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/14/israel-lebanon-ground-invasion-hezbollah" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">seizing the entire area south of the Litani River</a>. This area is protected under a UN Security Council resolution as part of a decades-old ceasefire agreement, and makes up <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/14/world/middleeast/lebanon-beirut-israel-displaced.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">about 8 percent</a> of the area of the country.</p> <p>A <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/14/israel-lebanon-ground-invasion-hezbollah" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">senior Israeli official told</a> <em>Axios</em> the military is “going to do what we did in Gaza.”</p> <p>Israel and Hezbollah reached a ceasefire agreement in late 2024, but <a href="https://truthout.org/articles/un-israel-has-committed-10k-violations-in-lebanon-in-one-year-of-ceasefire/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Israel violated it</a> over 10,000 times in the first year, UN officials said. Now, Israel has unilaterally ended the ceasefire — though some argue <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2026/3/11/the-israel-hezbollah-ceasefire-was-built-to-fail" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Israel never adhered to it</a> in the first place — and severely escalated bombardments and forced displacement in Lebanon, as the world focuses on Israel and the U.S.’s <a href="https://truthout.org/articles/israel-has-dropped-4k-bombs-on-iran-surpassing-12-day-war-in-just-4-days/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">horrific war on Iran</a>.</p> <p>In just the past two weeks, Israel has killed <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-says-troops-launch-limited-operations-against-hezbollah-south-lebanon-2026-03-16/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">over 880 people</a> in Lebanon, including over 100 children and <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/15/overnight-israeli-attacks-kill-four-people-in-lebanon" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dozens of health care workers</a>, according to the country’s health ministry.</p> <p>Israel has <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/15/overnight-israeli-attacks-kill-four-people-in-lebanon" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bombed residences</a>, health <a href="https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/middle-east/israel-hezbollah-lebanon-medics-doctors-war-b2938908.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">care centers</a>, <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/03/lebanon-israeli-air-strikes-on-al-qard-al-hassan-financial-institution-must-be-investigated-as-war-crimes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">and other civilian infrastructure</a>, including in the capital of Beirut. The attacks have created <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/03/1167120" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a “humanitarian catastrophe,”</a> as one UN official warned, forcing thousands to take shelter <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2026/3/16/displaced-lebanese-shelter-in-schools-stadiums-amid-israeli-attacks" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">in makeshift shelters</a> or on the streets. The UN says that Israel has <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/un-seeks-325-million-lebanon-war-displaces-800000-people-2026-03-13/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">forcibly displaced 800,000 people</a> thus far.</p> <p>Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz pledged on Monday to continue Israel’s displacement campaign.</p> <p>“Hundreds of thousands of Shi’ite residents of southern Lebanon who have evacuated or are evacuating their homes in southern Lebanon and Beirut will not return to areas south of the Litani line until the safety of northern residents is ensured,” referring to northern Israel, Katz said in a statement.</p> <p><em>Reuters</em> reports that, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-says-troops-launch-limited-operations-against-hezbollah-south-lebanon-2026-03-16/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">over the weekend</a>, Israeli forces surrounded the key town of Khiam, in southern Lebanon, close to the border of Israel and Syria’s Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.</p> <p>The town is on a hilltop that <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/world/middleeast/lebanon-strategic-town-khiam.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">can oversee</a> large swaths of the area, and is situated near the choke point where the demarcation of southern Lebanon by the Litani River and the “Blue Line” that establishes Lebanon’s southern border almost meet. <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/features/2026/3/16/in-lebanon-israel-is-using-occupation-as-negotiating-tool-say-analysts" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Analysts say</a> that Israel could use the town strategically to advance military occupation, potentially using it to cut off communication between parts of the occupied area.</p> <p>Some residents of Lebanon, already having faced years of bombardments from Israel, say they fear that Israel will carry out an extended occupation like its 18-year occupation of Lebanon that lasted from 1982 to 2000.</p> <p>“I feel like this is preparation for an occupation, and I’m afraid history will repeat itself,” said <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/03/16/world/iran-war-trump-oil-lebanon/e63b9790-8037-59f8-9237-117d9450870e?smid=url-share" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Iman Ibrahim</a>, a resident of Blida, a town in south Lebanon, to <em>The New York Times</em>. “Everything we used to hear from our grandparents about occupation, we’re living it now.”</p> <p>This <a target="_blank" href="https://therealnews.com/israel-invasion-of-lebanon-iran-war">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://therealnews.com">The Real News Network</a> and is republished here under a <a target="_blank" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.<img src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/cropped-TRNN-2021-logomark-square.png?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;"></p> <img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://therealnews.com/?republication-pixel=true&post=342081&ga4=G-7LYS8R7V51" style="width:1px;height:1px;"><script> PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: "https://therealnews.com/israel-invasion-of-lebanon-iran-war", urlref: window.location.href }); } } </script> <script id="parsely-cfg" src="//cdn.parsely.com/keys/therealnews.com/p.js"></script>
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