Smoke rises from Israeli bombardment on the southern Lebanese village of Taybeh on March 3, 2026. RABIH DAHER / AFP
Israel on Tuesday, March 3, ordered the military to take control of more positions in Lebanon, where the army pulled back some of its forces after Hezbollah attacked Israeli bases in support of its backer, Iran. "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I have authorised the Israel Defense Forces [IDF] to advance and take control of additional strategic positions in Lebanon in order to prevent attacks on Israeli border communities," Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.
In response, the Lebanese army has redeployed soldiers from several recently established border positions on Tuesday following the Israeli army's "escalation," a Lebanese military source told Agence France-Presse. The troops, "numbering in total eight to nine soldiers at each point, were redeployed to their bases because of the danger to their safety," the Lebanese military said.
Lebanon was drawn into the regional war on Monday after an initial rocket attack on Israel by Hezbollah, which said it wanted to "avenge" the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the US-Israeli strikes. Israel promptly responded with large-scale strikes on Lebanon, where the government on Monday declared an immediate ban on Hezbollah's military activities.
