Hezbollah said on Thursday (March 19, 2026) its fighters were battling Israeli forces in south Lebanon, as a military source on the ground said Israeli troops were slowly advancing while "systematically destroying" border towns.
Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on March 2 when Iran-backed Hezbollah attacked Israel to avenge the killing of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Read: Iran-Israel war LIVE
Israel responded with intense strikes on Lebanon that have killed at least 968 people and displaced over a million more, according to local authorities, and by launching ground operations in the south.
In a statement, Hezbollah said its fighters had ambushed Israeli troops entering the border town of Taybeh and destroyed a tank.
