Israel deploys troops in Southern Lebanon as Hezbollah threatens ‘open war’

The Israeli Military on Tuesday (March 3) said that it is deploying troops in Southern Lebanon, while continuing strikes against Hezbollah. Hezbollah responded that Israel wanted an open war, so “let it be an open war”. It further added that ‘the era of patience has ended." Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has said that he has asked the forces to move to a “forward defence posture”.

“We have positioned soldiers on the border area in additional points to defend our civilians, to prevent Hezbollah from attacking them,” said military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani. Israel has been bombing Beirut for the second straight day and issued forced displacement notices for around 59 areas in Lebanon. Israel has controlled five areas in southern Lebanon since November 2024 and created two buffer zones in the South of the Litani River.

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Israel Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed on March 2, 2026, the elimination of Hussein Makled, the head of Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters, in a precision airstrike in Beirut. In response, Hezbollah targeted Israeli military bases, including Nafah base in the Golan Heights, with a barrage of drones and missiles. This is the first time Hezbollah responded to Israeli aggression since 2024, despite Israel regularly violating the ceasefire. According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, the retaliation from the IDF in the southern suburbs of Beirut resulted in the death of 52 people and wounding more than 150.

Lebanon's government on Monday banned military activities of Hezbollah, as it launched an aerial assault on Israel following the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomenei. People in Lebanon are trying to flee the areas which were bombarded by the IDF in the 2024 war. The Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said that the Israeli attack showed disregard for the "will of the majority of Lebanese" and Lebanon doesn't want to be part of the regional war. The Shia militant group established by Iran's Revolutionary Guard force had been severely weakened following the 2024 war with Israel.