Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon have escalated, with new air raids and ground attacks targeting Hezbollah positions, marking a significant expansion of the regional conflict. The Israeli Defense Ministry announced "limited and targeted ground operations" on Monday, intensifying its military presence in the area. This follows a series of attacks by Hezbollah, which launched rockets and drones at Israel for the first time in over a year in response to the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran. The violence has led to widespread casualties and displacement. Between March 2 and March 16, Israeli attacks killed at least 886 people, including 67 women, 111 children, and 38 health workers, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health. Over 2,141 others were wounded. More than one million Lebanese have been displaced from their homes, with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stating that the return of residents to southern Lebanon would only occur once the safety of Israelis is guaranteed. Data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED) shows at least 394 Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2. These attacks have primarily targeted southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut, with additional strikes in the Bekaa Valley and Baalbek in eastern Lebanon. In Beirut, Israeli warplanes have bombed areas like Haret Hreik, the Bashoura neighborhood, and Ramlet al-Baida, where displaced families sought refuge. The Dahiyeh region, once home to nearly one million people, has become a focal point of the conflict, with most residents forcibly evacuated. The human toll of the conflict is staggering.#hezbollah #israeli_defense_minister_israel_katz #lebanon #israeli_defense_ministry #armed_conflict_location_event_data
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue the war with Iran, declaring Israel had a "systematic plan to eradicate the Iranian regime," as Tehran refused to surrender. The pledge came amid escalating violence, with Iran launching waves of missiles and drones at Gulf neighbors while Israel and the U.S. conducted airstrikes targeting Iranian infrastructure. Netanyahu’s televised address on March 7, 2026, emphasized Israel’s determination to pursue the conflict "with all our force," despite Iran’s repeated retaliation. The attacks included a strike that set Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport ablaze and another targeting an oil depot. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed they had struck a U.S. military base in Bahrain, accusing it of using the facility to attack an Iranian desalination plant. The conflict expanded beyond Iran, with Israel intensifying air strikes on Lebanon, where Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group, operates. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Lebanese President Joseph Aoun that his country would face "a very heavy price" if it failed to disarm Hezbollah. Meanwhile, Israeli commandos launched an unsuccessful mission to retrieve the remains of a 1986 air force navigator, resulting in 41 civilian deaths in Nabi Sheet. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian apologized for strikes on neighboring countries, attributing the attacks to "miscommunication," while also vowing to resist U.S. demands for "unconditional surrender." He accused Iran’s enemies of seeking to "take their wish for the unconditional surrender of the Iranian people to their graves." The war, now in its second week, began after joint Israeli and U.S. strikes killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.#hezbollah #iranian_president_masoud_pezeshkian #israeli_prime_minister_benjamin_netanyahu #iranian_revolutionary_guards #israeli_defense_minister_israel_katz
