Israeli forces have intensified military operations in southern Lebanon, conducting a series of airstrikes on Lebanese territory following the entry of Hezbollah into the conflict. Renewed Israeli airstrikes targeted the southern outskirts of Beirut on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, following a series of earlier strikes on Tuesday morning that damaged several buildings. Thick plumes of smoke were seen rising in the area after the attacks.
The Israeli military expanded its strikes early Wednesday to include areas in Mount Lebanon and east of Beirut, reportedly hitting a building in Aramoun in the Mount Lebanon Governorate, an apartment in Saadiyat and a hotel in the Hazmieh area of the same governorate. Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health reported six fatalities and eight injuries resulting from the Israeli airstrikes on the Aramoun and Saadiyat regions.
An Israeli airstrike likewise hit a residential building in the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek, resulting in five deaths and 15 injuries, with three people still missing, according to the Lebanese National News Agency. Since early Wednesday morning, the Israeli military has conducted a series of airstrikes on southern areas, including Sreifa, Shaqra, Aytaroun, Beit Lif, Kfarshouba, Al-Khiam, and Tire. Simultaneously, the Israeli military issued an urgent warning to residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate the area south of the Litani River and move north immediately.
The town of Al-Khiam in southern Lebanon also came under artillery fire Wednesday morning, coinciding with the Israeli military’s ground incursion into the town and positioning near the former detention center, the Lebanese National News Agency reported. The escalating violence raises concerns Israel may launch a full-scale invasion of Lebanon, seeking to expand its control over territory up to the second line of villages behind the border – an area extending five to ten kilometers from the Lebanese-Palestinian border. Israeli officials have demanded the evacuation of more than 50 villages in the south and Bekaa Valley, citing the demand to target Hezbollah infrastructure.
The Syrian army announced it was reinforcing its forces along the Syrian border with Lebanon and Iraq, stating the move aimed to “protect and secure the borders amid the escalating regional war.” Syrian News Channel reported that the deployed units consist of border guard forces and reconnaissance battalions tasked with monitoring border activity and combating smuggling operations.
Politically, the Lebanese presidency announced Tuesday that President Jozef Aoun spoke by phone with French President Emmanuel Macron, informing him of the latest military developments in southern Lebanon amid the widening Israeli attacks and incursions into border villages. The Lebanese presidency stated that Aoun requested Macron’s intervention to halt the Israeli military expansion, given the escalating situation in the southern regions and the associated risks to stability and security.
Hezbollah entered the conflict Monday by announcing it had targeted the “Meshmar HaCarmel” site, south of the occupied city of Haifa, with a barrage of rockets and drones, marking its first publicly acknowledged response since the start of the U.S.-Israeli aggression against Iran. The group affirmed that its operation was “revenge for the blood of Imam Khamenei and in defense of Lebanon and its people,” considering its response a “legitimate act of self-defense” in light of what it described as ongoing Israeli attacks. The recent escalation underscores the potential for a wider regional conflict.
