Israel Deepens Lebanon Ground Offensive as Netanyahu Vows Escalation

Lebanon's Health Ministry said 28 people were killed in Israeli strikes over the past day, as hospitals reported continuing recovery operations across the south and Beqaa Valley. The IDF said it was acting against 'a growing pattern of explosive drone attacks,' as cross-border fire continued

*IDF troops in southern Lebanon, this month. [Photo Credit: IDF Spokesperson's Unit]*

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is "deepening" its operation in Lebanon as the military expanded ground activity beyond a self-declared buffer zone in southern Lebanon, with forces operating to seize areas and counter Hezbollah's explosive drone attacks amid intensifying cross-border fighting.

The Israeli military has expanded its ground operations ⁠in southern Lebanon beyond a demarcation line that Israel set up several kilometres inside Lebanese territory after an April 16 cease-fire with Hezbollah, the military said on Tuesday.

The line, separate from the UN-demarcated "Blue Line" marking the frontier between ‌Lebanon and Israel after Israel's withdrawal in 2000, forms part of a proposed buffer zone extending 5km to 10 km (3 miles to 6 miles) into southern Lebanon, where Israeli troops continue to operate in dozens of largely abandoned villages.

Israel struck Lebanon with more than 120 air strikes on Tuesday in one of the heaviest days of bombing in weeks, Lebanese security sources said.

Lebanon's health ministry said Israeli strikes in recent hours had killed 31 people and wounded 40, state news agency NNA reported overnight into Wednesday.

It said 14 people were killed in the town of Burj ⁠al-Shamali in southern Lebanon, including two children and three women.

IDF officials said expanded operations are aimed at removing Hezbollah's drone threat, adding that the army has been working extensively to find solutions to the threat posed by the explosive drones and is currently attempting to counter them using nets and special ammunition. The officials acknowledged, however, that no comprehensive solution currently exists.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday Israel would intensify strikes against Hezbollah, while a U.S. official said the Iran-backed group had ignored warnings to halt attacks that risked undermining negotiations to end ⁠the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

The military also said it struck about 150 targets in recent days in response to Hezbollah drone launches, including more than 90 weapons depots.

Twenty-two Israeli soldiers have been killed since the current round of fighting in Lebanon began. Most troops killed since the cease-fire was declared in April were struck by explosive drones.

Throughout the day, exchanges of fire between the IDF and Hezbollah continued. Within about two hours, three alerts warning of suspected drone infiltration sounded in the western Galilee. The IDF said an explosive drone launched by Hezbollah toward Israeli forces exploded in Israel near the Lebanese border. The army said the drone exploded in a military area rather than a civilian community and that there were no casualties. Later, the IDF said another explosive drone fell in Israel near the border.

At the same time, the IDF ordered all residents of the city of Nabatieh, north of the Zahrani River in Lebanon, to evacuate their homes. It was the first time the military had ordered the evacuation of the city since the cease-fire was declared on April 16.

The IDF also said it struck more than 100 Hezbollah targets overnight in the Beqaa Valley and southern Lebanon, including weapons storage facilities, observation posts and command centers.

Meanwhile, Lebanon's Health Ministry said 28 people were killed and 204 wounded in Israeli strikes across the country over the past 24 hours. According to the ministry, 3,213 people have been killed since the current round of fighting began.

The ministry also said 11 of those killed died in an Israeli strike in the Beqaa Valley on Sunday, including two girls and a woman, adding that rubble-clearing operations were still ongoing. In addition, the ministry said one paramedic was killed and two others wounded in a strike on the town of Srifa in the Tyre district.

Stricter gathering restrictions imposed by the military on communities along the Lebanese border and in the Mount Meron area came into effect Tuesday morning. The new guidelines, introduced amid preparations for expanded Israeli strikes in Lebanon, permit gatherings of up to 50 people outdoors and up to 200 indoors. Nature reserves in the area will also be closed under the new restrictions.

The IDF said it deployed an artillery battalion to northern Israel to reinforce defenses for communities near the border.

https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/lebanonnews/2026-05-26/ty-article/israel-expands-lebanon-ground-offensive-beyond-self-declared-buffer-zone/0000019e-64b5-da7d-a1bf-fcb5d8970000