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<\/p>\nFive Israeli brigades are now operating inside southern Lebanon alongside naval forces, marking a sharp escalation as Israel pushes deeper to target Hezbollah positions near its northern border.<\/p>\n
The deployment signals a sharp escalation inside southern Lebanon, raising the risk of a broader conflict with Hezbollah and increasing pressure on U.S. and allied interests across the region as fighting edges closer to a sustained ground campaign.<\/p>\n
Avichay Adraee, a spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces, said in a statement Sunday that multiple brigades are operating south of a \u201cforward defense line,\u201d working with naval forces to destroy infrastructure linked to Hezbollah and block what he described as a direct threat to northern Israeli towns.<\/p>\n
Military.com reached out for comment to the Defense Department, State Department, U.S. Central Command, the Israeli military, Lebanon\u2019s government and the United Nations.<\/p>\n
Israel Moves Deeper into Lebanon with Major Ground Push<\/p>\n
A five-brigade deployment inside southern Lebanon signals Israel is moving beyond limited cross-border strikes toward a sustained ground presence that could reshape the fight along its northern front.<\/p>\n
Operating simultaneously, the brigades point to a coordinated campaign across multiple sectors rather than isolated raids. The addition of naval forces suggests a broader operation supporting ground forces and monitoring activity along the Lebanese coast.<\/p>\n
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Displaced people walk across a destroyed bridge as they return to their villages, following a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, in Tayr Felsay village, southern Lebanon, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo\/Bilal Hussein)<\/p>\n
Israeli officials have framed the push as a defensive effort to push Hezbollah fighters and infrastructure farther from border communities that have faced repeated rocket and drone attacks. The reference to a \u201cforward defense line\u201d indicates Israel may be carving out a buffer zone several kilometers inside Lebanese territory to create distance between its towns and Hezbollah positions.<\/p>\n
The Israeli military on Sunday also published a map showing the area where its forces are operating south of that line, offering one of the clearest public indications of how far operations have extended into Lebanon.<\/p>\n
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