Israel Deploys Ground Forces Into Southern Lebanon as Hezbollah Vows 'Open War'
BEIRUT (AP) — Israeli forces pushed into southern Lebanon on Tuesday, seizing new positions near the border and ordering residents of more than 80 villages to evacuate immediately. The military move came as the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group declared it was prepared for an "open war," dramatically raising the stakes in a conflict that has simmered for over a year.
The rapid escalation began after Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets and drones toward northern Israel early Monday. Israel responded with intensive airstrikes across Lebanon, killing at least 52 people—including a Hezbollah intelligence official in Beirut's southern suburbs—and wounding more than 150. Tens of thousands have been displaced amid the fiercest exchanges since a U.S.-brokered ceasefire last November.
On Tuesday, Hezbollah fired further rocket salvos toward Israel, while Israeli strikes damaged a building housing the group's media offices in Beirut. Later, unannounced strikes hit the capital's southern suburbs, which the Israeli military said targeted Hezbollah officials.
"The Zionist enemy has sought an open war since the ceasefire. So let it be an open war," said senior Hezbollah official Mohamoud Komati, accusing Israel of violating the truce repeatedly. He stated the group's "patience has ended," leaving no option but to "return to resistance."
In response, Israeli Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee issued urgent evacuation orders for residents of over 80 border communities, warning them not to return until further notice. The Israeli military confirmed it had sent additional troops across the border, describing the operation as an effort to "bolster forward defense."
The Lebanese National News Agency reported the national army was evacuating some of its own border positions. A Lebanese military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to The Associated Press that Israeli troops had moved into several areas and that the Lebanese army was "repositioning" its forces.
The U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said its peacekeepers observed Israeli forces crossing into Lebanese territory in multiple areas Tuesday morning before returning south of the Blue Line—the U.N.-drawn boundary between the two countries.
The latest ground incursion recalls Israel's October 2024 invasion during the last major war with Hezbollah. Although Israel withdrew from most of southern Lebanon after the November 2024 ceasefire, it has maintained control of five border points on the Lebanese side. Israeli officials have long argued that Hezbollah has used the period to rebuild its military infrastructure in the region.
This border conflict originated in the aftermath of Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Hezbollah began launching rockets in solidarity the following day, initiating months of low-intensity fighting that erupted into full-scale war in September 2024 before the temporary ceasefire.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, meeting with several foreign ambassadors Tuesday, asserted that Hezbollah had been firing from areas north of the Litani River, outside the zone where the Lebanese government claims to have disarmed the group. The government maintains that the army is in full control of the area between the river and the Israeli border.
Voices from the Region
"This isn't just another skirmish—it's a deliberate march toward a regional war that nobody can afford. Hezbollah's rhetoric and Israel's ground movement have shattered the fragile deterrence that's held for months. The international community needs to intervene now, before southern Lebanon becomes a second Gaza." — Layla Hassan, Political Analyst, Beirut Institute for Policy Studies
"Finally, a decisive response. For over a year, our northern towns have lived under constant threat while Hezbollah rearmed. This operation creates the security depth we need. Sometimes defense requires taking the initiative across the border." — David Cohen, Retired IDF Colonel, Security Commentator
"It's absolute madness. More troops, more bombs, more evacuated villages—where does it end? This cycle of retaliation only breeds more hatred and suffering. Both sides are playing with fire while civilians pay the price. The world watches, issues statements, and does nothing." — Sarah Al-Jamil, Aid Worker with Relief International (based in Tyre, Lebanon)
"The timing is critical. With attention focused on Gaza and internal political pressures in both Israel and Lebanon, hardliners see an opportunity to reshape the border by force. Hezbollah's declaration is a gamble, but so is Israel's ground maneuver. Miscalculation could ignite the entire Levant." — Professor Thomas Wright, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution