Israel launches ground assault against Hizbollah in southern Lebanon

Israel said on Monday it had launched ground operations against Hizbollah in Lebanon while US President Donald Trump piled pressure on world powers to help reopen the vital shipping lane choked off by Iranian attacks.

More than two weeks into the Middle East war, Israeli military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said they still had "thousands of targets in Iran, and we are identifying new targets every day."

Israel also announced the launch of "limited ground operations" against Iran-backed Hizbollah in southern Lebanon, a key front in the wider war.
"This activity is part of broader defensive efforts to establish and strengthen a forward defensive posture," the military said.

The announcement echoes similar statements issued in 2024, when Israel and Hizbollah fought a major war in Lebanon, and in 2023, when the military launched a ground assault in Gaza in response to Hamas's Oct.7 attacks.

The announcement came hours after Israel conducted fresh strikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hizbollah bastion which is usually home to hundreds of thousands of people.

Earlier in the war, the Israeli military issued an unprecedented evacuation warning for that entire area, sparking a major displacement crisis in Lebanon. The army has also told people across south Lebanon to flee.

Agence France-Presse