Israel Intensifies Attacks on Hezbollah as Conflict Escalates

Mon Mar 23 2026 00:05:40 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

With tensions rising, Israel has approved the expansion of ground and air assaults against Hezbollah, raising fears of a large-scale invasion into Lebanon.

The Israeli military has authorized an expansion of operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, following a series of rocket attacks from the group. The conflict has resulted in significant casualties on both sides and over a million displaced individuals, raising alarms about a potential humanitarian crisis. Israeli officials assert the necessity of these attacks to safeguard northern communities, while Lebanon's leadership warns of collective punishment and potential devastation.

The Israeli military says plans for the expansion of ground and air attacks against the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah have been approved, amid fears in Lebanon that Israel is preparing a large-scale ground invasion of the country.

Israel has intensified its campaign against Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militia and political party, after the group fired rockets into Israel earlier this month amid the war between the US and Israel against Iran.

Since then, more than 1,000 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to the Lebanese health ministry, including at least 118 children and 40 health workers.

More than a million people have been displaced, which could lead to a major humanitarian crisis.

Israeli officials say the aim is to protect communities in northern Israel from Hezbollah attacks. On Sunday, the Israeli military said the chief of the general staff, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, had approved plans to advance the targeted ground operations and strikes against Hezbollah, and that this would be a prolonged operation.

This followed a statement by the defence minister, Israel Katz, who said Israeli forces had been instructed to destroy the crossings over the Litani river that were being used by Hezbollah to send reinforcements.

The river is about 30km (19 miles) from the Lebanon-Israel border, and the bridges are also used by civilians. In Lebanon, many worry that Israel is planning to isolate the south – the heartland of the Shia community and of Hezbollah – from the rest of the country ahead of an operation to occupy some areas and create a so-called buffer zone.

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun called the Israeli strikes a prelude to a ground invasion, labeling them a policy of collective punishment against civilians. Katz also mentioned that Israeli forces had been ordered to demolish homes in Lebanese villages along the border to neutralize threats to Israeli communities.

The latest escalation in the decades-long conflict began when Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel, responding to the killing of Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and near-daily Israeli attacks on Lebanon, despite a previously agreed ceasefire.

The impact and humanitarian implications are grave, with both countries facing significant turmoil.