Israel returns to Lebanon

Israel announced today that its troops are operating in southern Lebanon. The 91st Division positioned itself at "several strategic points" on Lebanese territory, in what the army described as a "forward defence operation for the northern towns". Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered forces to advance and seize additional positions to prevent attacks on Israeli border communities. It is the first significant ground incursion since the November 2024 ceasefire.

The trigger was Hezbollah's decision to strike Israel on Sunday, the first time it had done so since the truce. The group fired precision missiles and drones at the Mishmar al-Karmel missile defence site south of Haifa, in retaliation for the killing of Khamenei. Israel's response was immediate: bombing of Beirut's southern suburbs, evacuation orders for 59 areas across Lebanon, and the mobilisation of 100,000 reservists to Northern Command. Israel claimed to have killed Reza Khazai, head of Hezbollah's military structure for the Quds Force.

The Lebanese government under Prime Minister Nawaf Salam responded by declaring Hezbollah's military activities illegal, demanding it surrender its weapons and confine itself to politics. The justice minister ordered the arrest of those responsible for the rocket launches. The Lebanese army pulled back from forward positions along the border. In Sidon, families fled in cars with mattresses tied to their roofs, scenes that echo the worst days of 2024. US officials told MTV Lebanon they consider the ceasefire over and will not intervene to stop Israeli operations. An Atlantic Council analyst put it plainly: Hezbollah's attack was "a handful of rockets aimed at open areas" that gave Israel the excuse it needed, if it even needed one.