Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a significant expansion of military operations into southern Lebanon on May 26, targeting Hezbollah positions well beyond the buffer zone established just weeks earlier. The move effectively upends the fragile US-brokered ceasefire framework that had been holding since April, and it’s already sending ripples through global risk markets, including crypto.
Bitcoin slipped below $80,000 as the escalation unfolded.
What happened on the ground
The Israeli Defense Forces launched more than 120 airstrikes against Hezbollah targets across two regions: southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.
Netanyahu described the operation as a “decisive shift” designed to fortify the security strip protecting northern Israeli communities. Israeli forces advanced past the self-declared “Yellow Line” buffer zone, a boundary Israel itself drew after the April ceasefire to create separation between its northern towns and Hezbollah positions.
