With the latest Israeli aggression on Lebanon entering its fifth week, an Israeli paratrooper has been killed in Southern Lebanon, bringing the total number of Israeli military fatalities to five. The number of those wounded has exceeded 100, at least a quarter of whom are in critical condition.
Hizbullah has not revealed its combat losses. However, unconfirmed sources suggest that the group may have lost approximately 400 fighters since the outbreak of the war on Lebanon on 2 March.
The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health has been issuing periodic updates on civilian casualties. By the beginning of the fifth week of the war, the number of civilian deaths had reached 1,189, including 124 children and 86 women, alongside 3,427 injured, among them 409 children and 465 women.
Around 51 paramedics and medical personnel were killed following direct Israeli strikes on ambulances, medical centres, and hospitals.
Israel claims that the intensification of its strikes against civilian targets is meant to deplete Hizbullah’s military capabilities. Two journalists and a cameraman working for the Al-Manar TV channel were killed this week when Israel targeted their vehicle. Israel claimed that one of the targeted journalists was affiliated with Hizbullah and operating under journalistic cover.
The Lebanese Ministry of Information condemned the attack, saying that Israel’s targeting of journalists was an attempt to obscure the truth of what is happening in the country.
Lebanon is preparing to submit a formal complaint to the United Nations Security Council regarding Israeli violations during the ongoing war, particularly those involving the targeting of civilians, journalists, medical personnel, and civilian infrastructure.
The rising casualty figures and the widening scope of the targets to include civilians, such as journalists and emergency responders, indicates that Israel is escalating its offensive against Lebanon.
In addition to the intensive bombardment of villages in the south, the Bekaa Valley, and Beirut’s southern suburbs, the Israeli ground incursion has entered a new phase of expansion.
Israeli forces have begun advancing along irregular axes, moving vertically and horizontally in alternating patterns in an attempt to reach the Litani River or to seize strategic high ground in Southern Lebanon.
Israeli forces have advanced into Southern Lebanon from the Galilee area, moving from Markaba while outflanking the towns of Taybeh and Qantara and then Deir Siryan until reaching one of the tributaries of the Litani River near Wadi Al-Hujayr. In the central sector, Israeli forces attempted to enter Aita Al-Shaab, before manoeuvring around Aitaroun in a failed attempt to seize the town of Bint Jbeil.
The Israeli forces continued their advance towards Al-Mhaybis, where they sought to establish a foothold. In the western sector, they attempted to advance towards Naqoura, but after a failed attempt they manoeuvred around it via the town of Iskandarouna, reaching Al-Bayada where they consolidated their position.
This town is strategically important as it overlooks the coastal road towards Tyre.
Israel’s forces have reached eight km inside the Lebanese territory by adopting unconventional, non-linear routes that alternate between vertical and horizontal advances to evade direct confrontations with Hizbullah.
Israeli warplanes have simultaneously imposed aerial dominance over the areas of ground advance in order to weaken Hizbullah’s defensive capacities.
Since 2 March, Hizbullah has carried out approximately 1,100 operations, and in recent days its operations have increasingly taken the form of close-quarters engagements with Israeli troops infiltrating Lebanese territory.
Hizbullah has combined artillery shelling, missile strikes, and tracking via loitering drones with the use of medium and light weaponry in direct clashes. Among its recent operations has been the destruction of Israeli positions established in Al-Bayada since 28 March.
The group has also conducted multiple strikes against concentrations of Israeli troops and has set ambushes for Merkava tanks attempting to withdraw, particularly in the vicinity of Markaba, Khiam, Taybeh, and Aita Al-Shaab.
It has targeted logistical operations centres supporting the advancing forces, whether in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights or in northern Israel.
Despite the Israeli advances in Southern Lebanon, Hizbullah maintains that it is not fixed on holding territory but instead aims to lure the enemy into vulnerable positions. This is a familiar tactic it adopts when faced with enemy ground advances – allowing the opposing forces to penetrate forward positions before springing a carefully prepared ambush that cuts off their safe withdrawal.
This suggests that the coming days may witness particularly lethal operations targeting Israeli forces in Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Israeli plans to occupy Southern Lebanon are steadily expanding. Following the intensive bombardment of areas south of the Litani River and a cautious ground advance throughout the past week, the Israeli army has issued evacuation orders to several villages located between the northern bank of the Litani and the southern bank of the Zahrani River.
This signals an expansion of the targeted zone for evacuation and destruction to areas north of the Litani River.
The plans were reflected in statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 29 March, in which he said that he had instructed the Israeli military to expand the “security zone” in Lebanon.
The move indicates an intention to control approximately 13 per cent of Lebanon’s territory, transforming it into a depopulated and demilitarised buffer zone rendered uninhabitable and unsuitable for reconstruction.
In parallel with its engagement against the advancing Israeli forces, Hizbullah has maintained a steady tempo of missile strikes and drone attacks targeting settlements in northern Israel, extending as far as Hadera approximately 75 km from the border.
The group has also participated in efforts to exhaust Israeli air defences in the north of the country ahead of a broader Iranian strike on energy facilities and military industries in the Haifa Bay area.
Following Israel’s escalation in targeting Iranian energy infrastructure and military industries, Iran has responded in kind. This has involved a large-scale attack on Israeli petrochemical facilities in the Negev and Haifa Bay, where in both instances Hizbullah played a supporting role by depleting Israeli air-defence systems with waves of missiles and drones prior to the Iranian strikes.
This suggests that Hizbullah has restored its offensive capabilities in launching missiles and drones, with its operational performance seemingly unaffected by Israeli strikes either south or north of the Litani River. The group continues to pose a threat to northern Israel and to operate in coordination with Iran to wear down Israeli missile-defence systems such as the Iron Dome.
In response, Israel has expanded its operations in Lebanon. On 30 March, Israeli forces targeted a Lebanese army checkpoint in the Al-Amiriya area near Tyre, resulting in the death of one soldier and injuries to others. The Lebanese Armed Forces had previously redeployed to a depth of approximately 10 km from the border in Southern Lebanon.
However, the Israeli provocations have persisted, extending to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) operating in the country.
The expansion of the Israeli operations reflects Tel Aviv’s determination to undermine diplomatic efforts aimed at halting the war, particularly as these coincided with a meeting of the foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan in Islamabad on 29 March.
Tel Aviv opposes comprehensive ceasefire initiatives, or at the very least rejects any cessation of hostilities in Lebanon. Should US President Donald Trump reach a truce with Iran, Israel appears to be intent on ensuring that Lebanon remains excluded from such an arrangement until its plans to establish a “buffer zone” are realised.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty visited Beirut on 26 March to convey a message of solidarity and support from Egypt to Lebanon in the face of the Israeli aggression.
He rejected the Israeli policies of collective punishment, including the destruction of infrastructure, bridges, and the issuance of evacuation orders. Abdelatty also visited a centre for displaced persons, meeting with civilians and delivering humanitarian aid from Egypt in an effort to highlight the severe humanitarian crisis confronting the population displaced by the war, which exceeds one million.
Abdelatty stressed the need to adhere to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 and the importance of supporting Lebanese state institutions, particularly the army, in extending state authority across the country and ensuring that arms remain exclusively under state control.
Amid the ongoing mediation efforts, Israel appears to be intensifying its military campaign to create a new reality on the ground that will be difficult to reverse in the event of a sudden halt to the war with Iran. The targeting of Lebanese institutions and infrastructure also seems to be aimed at widening the rift between Hizbullah and the Lebanese government.
Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry requested that the Iranian ambassador to Beirut depart the country by 29 March, citing violations of diplomatic norms and interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs. In parallel, Lebanon recalled its ambassador from Tehran for consultations. However, Iran announced that its ambassador would continue his duties in Beirut and would not leave, reportedly at the request of the Amal Movement and Hizbullah.
Ministers affiliated with both Amal and Hizbullah have expressed their solidarity with the Iranian ambassador in opposition to the expulsion decision, revealing a widening gap between Lebanon’s official policy and Hizbullah.
This internal division constitutes leverage for Israel, which is maintaining a unified domestic front unlike Lebanon.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 2 April, 2026 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.
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