Israel is preparing to escalate its war on Lebanon, with reports that the government is set to approve the mobilisation of up to 400,000 reserve soldiers to expand its ground offensive in the south .
The planned mass call-up, reported by Israeli media on Tuesday, signals a widening of Israel's military campaign against Hezbollah, which has already devastated large parts of Lebanon and displaced over a million of Lebanon's 5.5 million population. The escalation comes as Israeli forces intensified air strikes across the country, including repeated raids on Beirut’s southern suburb overnight and attacks on towns in the south and east.
Lebanon's health ministry said on Tuesday that at least 33 people were killed and 90 wounded in the past 24 hours alone, raising the total death toll since 2 March to 1,072, with nearly 3,000 injured.
Among the latest attacks, an Israeli air strike on the town of Bchamoun killed three people, including a three-year-old child, while strikes on multiple southern villages caused further casualties and destruction.
Israeli forces also carried out a ground incursion into the southern border village of Halta, where a 15-year-old was killed under heavy fire, and another resident was abducted, according to Lebanese officials.
At the same time, Israeli forces issued fresh forced displacement orders to residents across several southern towns, ordering them to leave towards areas north of the Zahrani river, another displacement civilians already driven from their homes after weeks of bombardment.
Israeli officials have also reiterated threats to expand a so-called "security zone" in southern Lebanon up to the Litani River , alongside warnings that displaced residents would be prevented from returning to their homes.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the ongoing assault, which was causing widespread destruction across towns and villages through the targeting of infrastructure, such as bridges , to isolate communities south of the Litani, saying war could have been avoided had Israel withdrawn from territories it occupied in 2024 and adhered to previous ceasefire agreements.
On the ground, fighting continues as Hezbollah targets Israeli forces attempting to advance in southern border areas.
The group said it struck Israeli troops inside a house in the border town of al-Qouzah with a guided missile, reporting a direct hit, and also targeted Israeli military sites and tanks in multiple locations along the front.
Hezbollah also announced rocket and drone attacks on Israeli positions and settlements in northern Israel, as clashes intensify along the border.