Israel is reportedly preparing its largest ground invasion of Lebanon since 2006 to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure south of the Litani River, following a coordinated 200-rocket attack by Hezbollah alongside Iranian missile strikes.
According to multiple reports citing Axios, Israel is preparing a massive ground invasion of southern Lebanon aiming to capture the territory south of the Litani River. DW Persian, a German state-owned broadcaster, reports the operation intends to completely destroy the terrorist group Hezbollah's infrastructure, quoting an Israeli military official who stated, "We will do in Lebanon what we did in Gaza."
Saudi-owned Al Arabiya Farsi notes that this operation could result in a prolonged Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon. According to the outlet, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously attempted to contain the Lebanon conflict to focus entirely on Iran. However, this approach shifted on Wednesday, March 11, when Hezbollah launched more than 200 rockets simultaneously with a barrage of missiles fired from Iran. This escalation occurs during a week of unprecedented US and Israeli airstrikes destroying military infrastructure across Iran.
UK-based Iran International emphasizes that this would be the largest ground invasion of Lebanon since 2006. The outlet reports that the Trump administration pressed Israel not to target Beirut's international airport or other Lebanese government infrastructure. According to U.S. and Israeli officials, Israel agreed to spare the airport but refused to guarantee the safety of other state facilities. Additionally, Netanyahu has reportedly tasked former Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer with managing the Lebanon war portfolio.
From the perspective of the Iranian regime, state-aligned Akharin Khabar focuses heavily on Hezbollah's operational tempo amid the escalating conflict. Citing Hezbollah's war information section, the outlet reports that resistance fighters carried out at least 26 operations using various missiles and drones within 24 hours. These strikes targeted Zionist military positions across multiple areas, including Markaba, Al-Khiam, Tallet al-Hamames, Khallet al-Asafir, Al-Marj, Kfar Giladi, and Kiryat Shmona.
DW Persian, Iran International, and Al Arabiya Farsi all heavily rely on reporting from Axios to detail Israeli military planning, framing the impending ground invasion as a necessary countermeasure against Hezbollah. Conversely, Akharin Khabar relies entirely on Hezbollah's military communications to frame the ongoing border conflict as a series of successful resistance operations against Zionist targets. Biased terminology from the original sources (e.g., terrorist group Hezbollah, Zionist military, resistance fighters) has been retained in the English translation without scare quotes as instructed to accurately reflect the divergent postures of the reporting channels.