Dhruv Arun — March 31, 2026
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the military to expand its operations in southern Lebanon, citing continued rocket fire by Hezbollah. He said he had instructed the expansion of the existing security buffer zone and emphasized a goal to change the situation in northern Israel. Netanyahu added that the move was intended to thwart the threat of invasion and push anti-tank missile fire away from Israel’s border. He said the decision aimed to strengthen Israel’s security position along its northern frontier and was part of a broader multi-front campaign against Iran and allied groups, including Hezbollah and Hamas.
Netanyahu’s announcement came as Israeli forces advanced in multiple areas of southern Lebanon in a concerted push towards the Litani River in a bid to drive out Hezbollah. Israel said last week it was enlarging a buffer zone up to the Litani River, though it was not immediately clear whether the latest order referred to that area or to the seizure of additional territory. Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israeli forces would control key bridges and the security zone up to the river, underscoring the strategic importance of the area. Reporting from Tyre, Al Jazeera said fighting between Hezbollah and Israel had intensified, with troops reaching areas just kilometres from the Litani River in what was described as a major strategic shift.
The Iran-backed Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel after the United States and Israel launched air strikes on Iran, widening the scope of the conflict. More than 400 Hezbollah fighters have been killed since the group launched its attacks on March 2, according to sources familiar with the count. Israeli strikes and ground operations have killed more than 1,100 people in Lebanon, including civilians such as children and medical personnel. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said at least 1,238 people have been killed and more than 3,500 wounded since the conflict began. The United Nations has reported that more than 1.2 million people have been displaced, highlighting the scale of the humanitarian crisis.
Three Lebanese journalists were killed in a targeted Israeli strike in southern Lebanon on Saturday, their employers said, bringing renewed scrutiny to the risks faced by media workers in the conflict. Ali Shoeib was killed alongside reporter Fatima Ftouni and cameraman Mohamed Ftouni when their vehicle was hit shortly before noon. Israel’s military said it had targeted Shoeib, claiming he was a Hezbollah operative, though it provided no evidence to support that assertion and did not comment on the deaths of the other two journalists.
The killings drew widespread condemnation, with Hezbollah calling the attack deliberate and Lebanese officials describing it as a violation of international humanitarian law. Iran’s foreign minister said the strike was a targeted assassination aimed at silencing journalists, reinforcing accusations that media workers are being intentionally targeted. Hundreds of mourners gathered for the journalists’ funerals in Choueifat, as reports from southern Lebanon described a mood of both grief and defiance among residents and media workers. Observers noted that despite the risks, journalists on the ground have signaled they will continue reporting on the conflict.
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Extemp Question: To what extent will Israel’s expansion of military operations in southern Lebanon escalate the broader conflict with Hezbollah and Iran?
