Israel advances in Lebanon and seizes more land, as Hezbollah fight escalates.

By AARON BOXERMAN and CHRISTINA GOLDBAUM

Israel said Tuesday that its military had seized areas of southern Lebanon as part of its escalating conflict with Hezbollah as the Iran-backed armed group fired small volleys of drones at the country in a second day of fighting.

Israeli forces “moved forward and took over strategic areas” in Lebanon while ordering nearby Lebanese towns to evacuate, expanding the Israeli military’s zone of control close to Israel’s northern border, said Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, the Israeli military spokesperson.

Israel already controlled five military outposts inside Lebanon, close to the border, from which its forces had refused to withdraw after reaching a ceasefire with Hezbollah in November 2024 following a year of fighting. Defrin said Tuesday that the new advance was intended to better defend Israeli towns near the Lebanese border.

But military analysts said that Israel could be weighing a wider ground assault in Lebanon similar to the one it launched during the war in 2024.

Hezbollah was badly weakened by that conflict and sat out the 12-day war last year between Israel and Iran, its main patron. But after the U.S.-Israeli military campaign assassinated Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Saturday, Hezbollah fired a small number of rockets at Israel, prompting Israeli retaliation.

Analysts say the Hezbollah attack gave Israeli leaders a pretext to escalate their fight against a battered Hezbollah. Although the rockets did not cause casualties, the Israeli military seized the opportunity to press its advantage against a longtime foe.

Israeli forces have launched successive waves of airstrikes across Lebanon, including near the southern edge of the capital, Beirut, a traditional bastion of support for Hezbollah.

At least 52 people have been killed in Lebanon in the attacks since fighting escalated Monday, according to the country’s Health Ministry. The fighting — combined with Israeli orders for people in southern Lebanon to evacuate dozens of towns — has also forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes, according to the United Nations.

Nearly 30,000 people in Lebanon have been formally registered at shelters, said Babar Baloch, a spokesperson for the U.N. refugee agency. He added that many more were likely sleeping in cars or staying wherever they could.

Many in southern Lebanon have fled their homes, taking their belongings with them. Lacking formal shelters, displaced people sought safety in schools and mosques.

Hezbollah officials insisted Tuesday that they had no intention of backing down. The group claimed another drone attack at northern Israel in the morning, setting off air-raid sirens, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

“The phase of patience has ended, leaving us with no option but to return to resistance,” said Mahmoud Qamati, a senior Hezbollah official. If Israel wants an open war, he added, “then let it be an open war.”