Israeli Army Deploys Additional Division in Lebanon

(MENAFN) Israel escalated its ground campaign in Lebanon on Tuesday, deploying an additional military division into the south of the country in what the army described as a deliberate expansion of ongoing offensive operations.

In an official statement, the Israeli military confirmed that the 98th Division had entered the theater alongside the 91st, 36th, 146th, and 162nd divisions "as part of expanding ground operations," supported by sustained artillery bombardment and airstrikes across southern Lebanon.

The army said the reinforcements are tasked with efforts to "reinforce the front defensive line and remove threats to northern residents," while stopping short of disclosing the precise territorial reach of the expanding incursion into Lebanese soil.

Israeli media reported that the strategic objective driving the deployment is to push Hezbollah fighters back beyond the Litani River and to systematically dismantle sites and structures in border villages that Israel alleges are being used for military purposes. The newspaper cautioned, however, that operations in southern Lebanon are "more complex" than in Gaza due to the terrain — a factor military planners are closely accounting for.

Media further revealed that the army is preparing to submit a formal operational plan to political leadership that envisions seizing control of front-line villages while sustaining active military operations even beyond the conclusion of the war with Iran.

Israel's military campaign in Lebanon — encompassing both airstrikes and a ground offensive — has been underway since a cross-border attack launched by Hezbollah on March 2, carried out in open defiance of a ceasefire that had been in effect since November 2024. Lebanese authorities report that the Israeli assault has since claimed at least 1,497 lives and left 4,639 others wounded.

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