36th Division Joins the Fight in Lebanon as Invasion Expands
According to the military, troops from the 36th Division began operating in recent days alongside the 91st Division as part of the campaign to widen Israel’s forward defensive zone and remove threats to communities in northern Israel.
The IDF has expanded its ground operations in southern Lebanon, with the 36th Division joining forces already operating in the area as Israel intensifies efforts against Hezbollah along the northern border.
According to the military, troops from the 36th Division began operating in recent days alongside the 91st Division as part of the campaign to widen Israel’s forward defensive zone and remove threats to communities in northern Israel.
The operation is aimed at strengthening the security buffer along the border and preventing Hezbollah from launching attacks on Israeli towns and villages in the Galilee.
Before ground forces moved into the area, the IDF carried out extensive preparatory strikes. Artillery units and Israeli Air Force aircraft targeted numerous Hezbollah positions and other terrorist infrastructure across southern Lebanon.
Military officials said the maneuver is part of a broader effort to establish what they described as a forward defensive line that would create an additional layer of protection for residents of northern Israel.
The expansion of the operation follows earlier activity by the 91st Division, which has been conducting targeted ground operations against key Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon in recent days.
According to Israeli military figures, since the start of the campaign forces from the division together with the Israeli Air Force have killed more than 230 Hezbollah terrorists and struck over 200 targets and pieces of terrorist infrastructure in the area.
The military said it will continue operating against Hezbollah, which it accused of joining the wider war in coordination with the Iranian regime.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said earlier that the ground maneuver in Lebanon is intended to remove threats to northern communities and restore security along the border.
He added that Israeli forces have been instructed to destroy Hezbollah infrastructure in villages near the border in order to prevent the group from returning to the area, comparing the approach to operations carried out against Hamas in Gaza.
The expanding ground maneuver suggests Israel is preparing for a longer campaign in southern Lebanon as fighting with Hezbollah continues alongside the broader regional war involving Iran and its allied groups.