{"id":2585803,"date":"2026-03-31T16:40:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T20:40:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/israel-says-it-will-occupy-southern-lebanon-after-ground-invasion\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T16:42:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T20:42:31","slug":"israel-says-it-will-occupy-southern-lebanon-after-ground-invasion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/israel-says-it-will-occupy-southern-lebanon-after-ground-invasion\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel says it will occupy southern Lebanon after ground invasion"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fisrael-says-it-will-occupy-southern-lebanon-after-ground-invasion%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2585803&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Israel plans to occupy parts of southern Lebanon after its ground operations against Hezbollah, aiming to extend control up to the Litani River and to destroy infiltrating forces and nearby weapons caches. The defense minister said the goal is to create a security zone near the border, including destroying homes in Lebanese border villages to remove threats, similar to actions taken in Gaza. As operations continue, hundreds of thousands of Lebanese civilians have been displaced, and casualties have climbed-more than 1,200 people killed in Lebanon and at least 29 killed in Israel, including 10 Israeli soldiers.<\/p>\n<p>The fighting was rekindled after Hezbollah,Iran\u2019s ally,launched rockets into southern Israel,and Israel launched targeted ground incursions into southern Lebanon. A ceasefire agreed in November 2024 required Israel to pause its campaign and withdraw ground forces from southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah was to move its personnel and equipment north of the Litani River; Hezbollah has not fully complied. The broader context is a regional confrontation linked to Iran, with the United states and Israel conducting strikes against Iranian targets and considering negotiations to end the conflict, though tensions remain high.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Israel says it will occupy southern Lebanon after ground invasion<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2548282\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/israel\">Israeli<\/a> forces will occupy parts of southern <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/lebanon\">Lebanon<\/a> following their ground operations against <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hezbollah\">Hezbollah<\/a> in the area, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>Katz said Israel would &ldquo;control&rdquo; territory &ldquo;up to the Litani River,&rdquo; which runs parallel to the Israel-Lebanon border about 20 miles north of it. Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese civilians have been displaced from their homes due to the renewal of hostilities between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4511003\/us-journalist-shelly-kittleson-kidnapped-baghdad-iraq\/\">US journalist Shelly Kittleson kidnapped in Baghdad, Iraqi government confirms<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4510395\/italy-refused-us-war-planes-access-airbase\/\">Italy refused US <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/italy-refused-us-war-planes-access-to-airbase\/\" title=\"Italy refused US ... planes access to airbase\">war planes access<\/a> to airbase, claims &#8216;no frictions&#8217; with White House<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4510322\/kuwaiti-oil-tanker-struck-dubai-port\/\">Kuwaiti oil tanker struck in Dubai port despite Trump warning<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;At the end of the operation, the IDF would control the area up to the Litani River, including the remaining Litani bridges, while eliminating Radwan forces that infiltrated the area and destroying all weapons there,&rdquo; Katz <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/mar\/31\/israel-vows-occupy-large-parts-southern-lebanon-expand-buffer-zone\">said<\/a>, referring to the elite unit within <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hezbollah\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"814\">Hezbollah<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>He also said &ldquo;all homes in Lebanese villages near the border will be destroyed &mdash; in accordance with the Rafah and Beit Hanoun model in Gaza,&rdquo; in order &ldquo;to remove, once and for all, the threats near the border.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The goal, Katz said, is to create a &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-to-know-about-the-battle-for-russias-kursk-region-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"What to know about the battle for Russia\u2019s Kursk region - Washington Examiner\">security zone&#038;rdquo<\/a>; to ensure Hezbollah can no longer attack Israel from southern Lebanon.<\/p>\n<p>Hezbollah, Iran&rsquo;s proxy in Lebanon, broke the ceasefire that had been in place for more than a year by launching rockets into southern Israel in early March, saying it was in response to the death of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei at the start of the joint U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.<\/p>\n<p>Renewed fighting subsequently broke out between Israel and Hezbollah, and the Israel Defense Forces announced &ldquo;limited and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >targeted ground operations&#038;rdquo<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-troops-are-fighting-iranian-backed-militias-in-iraq-in-addition-to-iran\/\" title=\"US troops are ... Iranian-backed militias in Iraq in addition to Iran\">targeting key&#038;nbsp<\/a>;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hezbollah\">Hezbollah<\/a>&nbsp;strongholds in southern Lebanon.<\/p>\n<p>More than 1,200 people have been&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/31\/world\/middleeast\/israel-lebanon-ground-invasion.html\">killed<\/a>&nbsp;in Lebanon since the war resumed, according to Lebanon&rsquo;s health ministry. In Israel, at least 29 people have been killed amid the wider war with Iran and Hezbollah, 10 of whom were Israeli soldiers slain during the ground invasion in southern Lebanon.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The situation in Lebanon has dangerously deteriorated with the ongoing escalation between Hezbollah and Israel,&rdquo; Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix told the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>The fighting between the two sides began in the aftermath of Hamas&rsquo;s Oct. 7, 2023, attack in southern Israel. It had largely been a limited conflict until the IDF carried out mass surprise attacks on Hezbollah&rsquo;s rank and file and brought ground troops into the south.<\/p>\n<p>The two sides&nbsp;agreed to a ceasefire in November 2024, which called for Israel to stop its military campaign and to remove their ground forces in southern Lebanon in exchange for&nbsp;Hezbollah&nbsp;to move all of its personnel and military equipment north of the Litani River.<\/p>\n<p>Hezbollah&nbsp;has not lived up to its end of the deal, which was actually built on the proposal that ended the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war &mdash; that, too, required Hezbollah to move north of the Litani. The group was formed in the wake of Israel&rsquo;s invasion of Lebanon in 1982.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4509362\/houthis-entry-iran-war-oil-red-sea-strait-of-hormuz\/\">HOUTHIS&rsquo; ENTRY INTO IRAN WAR COULD HAVE SIGNIFICANT REVERBERATIONS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Israel is simultaneously carrying out a joint war with the United States against Iran, which has retaliated with missile and drone attacks targeting several in the region. Israel and the U.S. have carried out thousands of strikes across Iranian territory, targeting Iran&rsquo;s ballistic missile arsenal, senior leaders, navy, air force, and more.<\/p>\n<p>President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\">Donald Trump<\/a> and his administration have begun conversations indirectly with Iran about possible negotiations to end the conflict, though Trump has simultaneously threatened to escalate the war if they can&rsquo;t come to an agreement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Israel to occupy southern Lebanon after invasion<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2671,"featured_media":2585804,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Lebanon.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[5237,10889,4671,23728,76905],"class_list":["post-2585803","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-conflict","tag-invasion","tag-israel","tag-lebanon","tag-southern-lebanon-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Lebanon.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2585803","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2671"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2585803"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2585803\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2585807,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2585803\/revisions\/2585807"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2585804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2585803"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2585803"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2585803"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}