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Israeli military deploys additional forces to southern Lebanon

AL-Monitor
Mar 3, 2026
Smoke rises after an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, Lebanon, March 3, 2026. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi
Smoke rises after an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, Lebanon, March 3, 2026. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi — Khalil Ashawi

TEL AVIV, March 3 (Reuters) - The Israeli military deployed additional forces to southern Lebanon overnight, to take up what a military spokesperson on Tuesday described as defensive positions to protect Israeli civilians and strategic sites from any potential Hezbollah attack.

"We're only at the borderline area in a defensive manner to prevent attacks against civilians and very strategic important points," Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said in an online briefing with reporters.

Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement he had authorised the military to advance and take control of additional positions in Lebanon after Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel late on Sunday, in reaction to U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran.

Israeli forces have occupied five positions in southern Lebanon since November 2024.

(Reporting by Alexander Cornwell and Steven Scheer; Editing by Aidan Lewis)