Southern Lebanon becomes a front again: why did Israel start a ground operation and what does it mean for Galilee

On March 16, 2026, the IDF officially confirmed the start of a ground operation in southern Lebanon. For Israelis, this is not just another military report from the north, but a moment when the months-long logic of deterrence has been replaced by the logic of directly pushing the threat away from the border.

The Israel Defense Forces reported that the 91st Territorial Division ‘Ha-Galil’ began advancing into Lebanese territory. According to IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee, the operation aims to destroy key terrorist infrastructure, expand the forward defense zone, and create an additional level of security for northern residents. Before the ground forces entered, the Israeli army struck targets in the area using artillery and the air force.

For residents of Kiryat Shmona, Metula, Shlomi, and other settlements in Upper Galilee, this decision is understood without complex formulations. If the threat continues to come from Lebanese territory, Israel is no longer willing to wait for someone in Beirut or beyond to solve this problem for them.

Why the operation started now

According to reports, the offensive is developing from the Galilee protrusion in the eastern part of Galilee. Against this backdrop, the intense shelling by Hezbollah in the Kiryat Shmona area in recent days is particularly noticeable. The Israeli side apparently links them to the buildup of forces and resources at the border before the start of the offensive phase.

The 91st Division includes a reserve armored brigade, three infantry brigades, including the reserve ‘Alexandroni’, an artillery brigade, and reconnaissance units. Simultaneously, it is reported that the forces of the 146th Reserve Armored Division have taken positions in Western Galilee. It includes two armored, two infantry, one airborne brigade, and artillery units.

In other words, this is no longer a one-time border raid, but a broader configuration of the northern campaign. Israel clearly shows that it is ready not only to respond to fire but also to change the reality on the ground.

Buffer zone as a new military goal

Israel has long discussed the idea of creating a buffer zone in southern Lebanon to eliminate the constant threat of rocket attacks on Galilee. Especially after northern residents only began returning to their partially destroyed homes after two years of war. Returning without real security seemed temporary and too fragile.

Maps published by the IDF in recent weeks indicated that the army is considering controlling the space up to the Litani River in the future. Formally, the current operation is called pinpoint. But if two divisions enter Lebanese territory and secure in the border strip to a depth of 7-10 kilometers, it no longer looks like a narrow local action.

The Israeli logic is simple and understandable for any family in the north: no rocket, no drone, no Hezbollah strike group should be at a distance from which they can paralyze life in Galilee again.

What Lebanon’s behavior shows

Against this backdrop, another factor is especially important. According to reports, the Lebanese army is withdrawing from the Lebanese-Israeli border, effectively allowing Israeli forces to enter southern Lebanon without direct confrontation with state units. This looks like a tacit acknowledgment that official Beirut does not want to pay for a new big war for the interests of Hezbollah and Iran.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam have repeatedly stated that they demand Hezbollah lay down arms and stop attacks on Israel from Lebanese territory. Their position is understandable: the country is in a deep economic and political crisis, and a new full-scale conflict could finally destroy Lebanon.

In response, Hezbollah, on the contrary, has made it clear that it is ready to open a second front against Israel and the US in support of Iran. This is the key rift that is now becoming increasingly evident: the Lebanese state has one interest — to survive, while the pro-Iranian Shiite organization has another — to drag the country into a foreign regional war.

Hezbollah is losing not only positions but also political cover

That is why what is happening in southern Lebanon does not just look like another military episode. More and more signs indicate that a significant part of the Lebanese leadership no longer wants to cover for Hezbollah even formally. For the Christian part of Lebanon, for many Sunnis, and for some other groups within the country, the destruction of Hezbollah’s military infrastructure no longer seems like someone else’s task.

Moreover, there are reports that neighboring Syria is strengthening the border with Lebanon to reduce the possibilities of smuggling Iranian weapons through Syrian territory. If this is indeed the case, then for Hezbollah, not only is the maneuvering space at the border with Israel narrowing, but the logistics of supply itself.

In this context, the current IDF operation is already connected not only with the security of Israel’s border areas but also with a broader regional shift in which the Iranian axis is gradually losing freedom of action.

What is being said in Israel and what is expected in the north

Defense Minister Israel Katz formulated the position as harshly as possible. He stated that the IDF began a ground operation to eliminate threats and protect the residents of Galilee and northern Israel. According to him, hundreds of thousands of Shiite residents of southern Lebanon, who have already left their homes, will not be able to return to areas south of the Litani River until the safety of northern Israeli residents is guaranteed.

This statement is important not only as an element of pressure on Hezbollah. It shows that Jerusalem does not intend to return to the previous model, where terrorist infrastructure gradually rebuilt at the very border, and then the whole country paid for it with mobilizations, evacuations, and destroyed cities.

In the Israeli press, the mood is also noticeably changing. Even those commentators who are hard to call supporters of a hard line now write directly: Israel does not need recognition from Lebanon, does not need a beautiful peace on paper, and does not need new plans from outside if they do not ensure the only thing — that no rocket and no drone crosses the border.

And in this sense, NAnews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency captures the main essence of the moment: the northern front today has become a matter not of foreign policy, but of Israel’s internal stability. For the residents of Galilee, this is not a debate about diplomacy. It is a question of returning to normal life, opening schools, running businesses, and feeling that the state has indeed pushed the threat away from their homes.

Where everything is heading next

The operation is currently presented as limited and targeted. But it is already clear that its consequences will be much wider than a few kilometers of advancement. If the IDF secures in the border strip and continues to push Hezbollah’s infrastructure further north, Israel will effectively begin building a new security architecture on the Lebanese front.

The main question in the coming days is how far Jerusalem is willing to go and how weak Hezbollah’s ability to hold southern Lebanon under its previous control will prove to be. Equally important is whether official Beirut will continue to distance itself from this war or try to maneuver again between international statements and the reality on the ground.

For Israel, the answer seems to have already been made. After two years of war and constant life under threat in the north, the state has decided that the security of Galilee can no longer depend on Lebanon’s promises, France’s pressure, or Tehran’s calculations. Now it will be determined by the presence of force from where the threat used to come.

That is why the ground operation in southern Lebanon on March 16, 2026, looks like a milestone. Not only military. Political, regional, and human as well. For one side, it is an attempt to save northern Israel from a new long war. For the other, a painful reminder that the era of using Lebanese territory against Israel with impunity may be coming to an end.