Around 500 Israeli air attacks in southern Lebanon and south Beirut, the illegal displacement of one million people and now an occupation by Israeli ground troops have happened in under two weeks. Israeli attacks continued on Sunday, including on bridges in Southern Lebanon, as the Lebanese authorities said they feared a wider invasion was imminent. That threat has been endemic in southern Lebanon ever since the movement was founded after the Israeli invasion of 1982 began this long historical cycle of resistance under Iranian tutelage. It suits Netanyahu to continue a state of emergency even if the Iran war is over soon – which looks increasingly unlikely. His government favours brute force over diplomacy even if this requires another indefinite occupation of southern Lebanon.

Source: The Irish Times March 22, 2026 21:52 UTC