IDF Launches Ground Operations in Southern Lebanon to Expand Buffer Against Hezbollah

The IDF's 91st Galilee Division began 'limited and targeted' ground operations in southern Lebanon on March 16, with two additional divisions expected to join. Israel aims to seize the area south of the Litani River and dismantle Hezbollah's military infrastructure, potentially the largest Israeli ground incursion into Lebanon since 2006. Hezbollah entered the war on March 2 after the Khamenei killing, opening a second front that now demands Israeli ground forces while its air force remains committed to Iran strikes.