On Sunday, Israel confirmed two of its soldiers were killed in combat in southern Lebanon – the country’s first fatalities since hostilities resumed. Of the 200 militants Israel claims to have killed, the IDF says 80 were members of Hizbullah’s elite Radwan force. Israel has ordered all residents south of the Litani river to leave their homes along with residents of Beirut’s Dahiya quarter. More than 400,000 residents are now homeless, creating an instant humanitarian crisis in a country that has still not recovered from the last war between Israel and Hizbullah. “Our working assumption was that fighting with Iran could draw Hizbullah into the war,” IDF officials said.

Source: The Irish Times March 09, 2026 15:01 UTC