Israel begins ground invasion of Lebanon

Israel’s ground invasion of Lebanon appears to be underway as US-Israeli aggression threatens to pull the entire region into open war. Israel mobilised 100,000 reservists on 2 March and issued threats to civilians. Hezbollah, their primary adversary in southern Lebanon, has said the age of patience is over.

Hezbollah is a Shia political party and paramilitary force. It is distinct from the Lebanese army and has seats in the country’s parliament. The US and Israel launched unprovoked attacks on Iran on 28 February. Hezbollah is a regional ally of the Iranian regime.

Middle East Eye (MEE) reported on 3 March that Israeli forces had pushed deeper into Lebanon:

In a statement on Tuesday, Katz said that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had authorised the army to “advance and hold additional dominant terrain in Lebanon”.

He said the aim was to “prevent the possibility of direct fire on Israeli communities”.

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MEE added

The Lebanese group began launching rockets at northern Israel on Monday, which it said was in retaliation for the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Israel responded with heavy air strikes in southern Lebanon and in Beirut’s southern suburbs, killing dozens and triggering a fresh wave of displacement.

Hezbollah said the ‘era of patience’ is over:

And there were reports an Israel tank was hit by a guide missile near the border:

Displacement crisis

Reports suggest locals are fleeing north in droves. The Intercept’s Seamus Malekafzali warned:

The whole displacement crisis has become a footnote amidst all of this.

Israel has also intensively bombed Beirut:

Israel claims it is responding to Hezbollah firing rockets into its territory on 2 March:

In theory, Hezbollah breached a US-brokered ‘ceasefire’ with Israel which had held since their last war in 2024. In practice, the US has given Israel carte blanche to strike Lebanon ever since. Israel has done so constantly since the deal was struck.

You can read about the secretive Israel-US ‘side letter’ pact here. And our extensive coverage of Israel’s ceasefire breaches here.

Let it be open war

Middle East Observer reported Hezbollah is moving to a war footing:

The Lebanese government has also banned Hezbollah’s “military activities”:

And Lebanese forces in the south have been seen pulling out in anticipation of an Israeli assault:

The legacy media seems to be mincing its words about Israel’s actions. Associated Press (AP) reported on 3 March:

The Israeli military said it has sent additional troops into southern Lebanon and took new positions on several strategic points close to the border, while Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said the Lebanese army was evacuating some of its positions along the border.

They posted on X:

The Israeli military says soldiers are operating in southern Lebanon as part of a broader effort to increase security for residents in northern Israel near their shared border. It says troops are positioned at several points near the border in what it described as a “forward

But Middle East historian and author Assal Rad put more plainly:

Israel is now bombing Iran and Lebanon at the same time. It’s genocidal assault on Gaza and the West Bank is also still underway. Opening a new front in the war will stretch the settler-colonial state further, but only time will tell what the long term implications are.

Featured image via the Canary