Overview
- Axios and Israel’s N12 report that Israel is preparing a ground operation in southern Lebanon, though no decision has been announced.
- The Israeli military has hit hundreds of Hezbollah targets in recent weeks, including heavy strikes on Beirut’s Dahieh, with dozens of fighters reported killed.
- Israel’s stated objectives include disarming Hezbollah and creating a security buffer that could reach the Litani River.
- Lebanon’s government has outlawed Hezbollah’s military activity, yet the militia continues attacks as the army chief publicly rejects a direct clash.
- More than 700,000 people have been displaced by the fighting, and President Emmanuel Macron is pressing for ceasefire talks in Paris.