Israel army says ground assault against Hezbollah underway in Lebanon

The Israeli military said on Monday (March 16, 2026) it was carrying out what it described as "limited" ground operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, with its Defence Minister warning that those displaced would not return home until northern Israel was secure.

Lebanon was drawn into the war in West Asia on March 2 when Tehran-backed Hezbollah attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in U.S.-Israeli strikes.

Israel responded with air raids on its northern neighbour and troop incursions into border areas.

Death and displacement by Israeli strike

Lebanon said on Monday (March 16) that Israeli attacks have killed 886 people, including 111 children, in the country since the latest war erupted. More than 830,000 people have registered as displaced.

An Israeli military statement said that in recent days its troops "have begun limited and targeted ground operations against key Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon".

"This activity is part of broader defensive efforts to establish and strengthen a forward defensive posture, which includes the dismantling of terrorist infrastructure and the elimination of terrorists operating in the area, in order to remove threats and create an additional layer of security for residents of northern Israel," it said.

The ground operations were preceded by air and artillery strikes, it added.

The announcement echoes similar statements issued in 2024, when Israel and Hezbollah fought a major war in Lebanon, and in 2023, when the military launched a ground assault in Gaza in response to Hamas's October 7 attacks.

Turkey condemned the Israeli ground operation, saying it was "worsening instability in the region" and warning of "another humanitarian catastrophe" in the West Asia.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, meanwhile, urged Israel to "not take this path -- it would be an error", also warning of the humanitarian consequences of a ground offensive.

In a briefing to journalists, Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said Hezbollah was "intending to expand their operations... and firing hundreds of rockets a day" toward Israel.

"They have also sent hundreds of Radwan terrorists to the south (of Lebanon)," he added, referring to Hezbollah's elite unit.

Shoshani said the ground operations were "limited in target against locations what we understand Hezbollah is posing a threat towards our civilians."

"Those are new locations that our troops were not operating in yesterday," he said, adding that "we'll operate for as much as we need".

In recent days, Hezbollah has reported targeting Israeli forces on the border with Lebanon and in a number of frontier towns, including "direct clashes" in Khiam.