Emergency responder works at the site of an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, Lebanon, 3 March 2026;
Credit: Reuters/Stringer
TEL AVIV (Reuters) - The Israeli military deployed additional forces to southern Lebanon overnight, to take up what a military spokesperson on Tuesday 3 March 2026 described as defensive positions to protect Israeli civilians and strategic sites from any potential Hezbollah attack.
"We're only at the borderline area in a defensive manner to prevent attacks against civilians and very strategic important points," Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said in an online briefing with reporters.
Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement he had authorised the military to advance and take control of additional positions in Lebanon after Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel late on Sunday 1 March 2026, in reaction to US and Israeli strikes against Iran.
Israeli forces have occupied five positions in southern Lebanon since November 2024.
