Israeli soldiers stationed at the border with Lebanon, March 12, 2026. REUTERS/Shir Torem Israeli soldiers and tanks on the Israeli side of the Lebanese-Israeli border, amid escalation between Hezbollah and Israel, and amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in northern Israel, March 12, 2026. REUTERS/Shir Torem
Israel plans to significantly expand its ground operation in Lebanon, aiming to seize the entire area south of the Litani River and dismantle Hezbollah’s military infrastructure, Axios reported Friday, citing Israeli and U.S. officials.
According to the U.S. outlet, this could become Israel’s largest ground invasion of Lebanon since 2006, and an operation of such scale could lead to a prolonged Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon.
“We are going to do what we did in Gaza,” a senior Israeli official said, referring to the destruction of buildings Israel says Hezbollah uses to store weapons and launch attacks.
Until a few days ago, the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was still trying to contain the escalation in Lebanon in order to remain focused on Iran, according to Israeli officials cited by Axios.
That calculation changed Wednesday when Hezbollah launched more than 200 missiles in a massive attack coordinated with Iran, which also fired dozens of projectiles, Axios reported.
“Before this attack, we were ready for a cease-fire in Lebanon, but after that there is no turning back from a massive operation,” a senior Israeli official said.
“We believe we have the full support of the United States for this operation,” the official added.
“The Israelis need to do what they have to do to stop Hezbollah’s fire,” a U.S. official told Axios.
