LEBANON'S SOUTH — The Israeli military launched limited ground operations in southern Lebanon during the week of March 20, 2026, while massing additional forces on the border and issuing evacuation orders for civilians near the Lebanese border. Israeli forces began striking and destroying bridges over the Litani River that connect southern Lebanon to the rest of the country.

The Israeli military issued orders for civilians to leave areas of southern Lebanon near the border, including evacuation orders for the hilltop border town of Khiam on March 2, 2026. Defense Minister Israel Katz said the IDF had been instructed to destroy terror infrastructure in Lebanese villages near the border to remove threats and prevent the return of Hezbollah. He compared the initiative to Israel's operations in Gaza, including in Rafah.

The escalation follows months of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel that began on February 28, 2026. On March 2, 2026, Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel in support of Tehran following a joint U.S.-Israeli assault on Iran. Israeli attacks have killed more than 1,000 people in Lebanon and displaced more than 1 million people according to Lebanese government figures.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon warned of heavy exchanges of fire, intensified air and ground activity, and increased presence of Israeli forces inside Lebanese territory. The Israeli military stated that these bridges were being used by Hezbollah to smuggle weapons and move fighters.

"From Israel's perspective this is an opportunity to really go after Hezbollah in a serious way and the calculation in Israel is that can only be done through an invasion," said Sanam Vakil, Director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House. "Whether its days or weeks, this is going forward."

"It will become bigger. Wider and bigger because we have to clear all the strip between the border and the Litani River," said Kobi Michael, Senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies. Israel Katz warned that people evacuated south of the Litani River would not be allowed to return until the safety of residents in northern Israel was guaranteed.

The Israeli government has long stated an ambition to remove Hezbollah's threat to northern Israel. In 2024, the Lebanese government vowed to disarm Hezbollah as part of a U.N.-brokered effort to end the fighting with Israel. In early March 2026, Lebanon's government moved to ban Hezbollah's military activity.

Leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom called for meaningful engagement between Israel and Lebanon toward a political solution and expressed grave concerns over escalating violence.