Global: UN Officials Plead For End Of Israel-Iran War As Gaza Continues To Suffer<\/a><\/p>\n More than 1.2 million people have been displaced and another 1,200 have been killed in Lebanon since Israel launched an offensive against Hezbollah on March 2, ignited by the group\u2019s decision to open fire in support of Tehran in the regional war<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Litani River meets the Mediterranean about 30 km (20 miles) north of Israel\u2019s border, and the area between it and the Israeli border amounts to nearly a 10th of Lebanon\u2019s territory.<\/p>\n The Israeli military (IDF) earlier this month ordered residents to leave swathes of the south<\/a>, the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs<\/a> of Beirut, and the group\u2019s political heartlands in eastern Lebanon.<\/p>\n Like this article? Keep independent journalism alive. Support HuffPost<\/a>.<\/p>\n BEIRUT, LEBANON – MARCH 31: Flames and black smoke rise during an explosion caused by an Israeli warplane bombing the upper floor of a building in the Dahieh area in the south of Beirut, Lebanon on March 31, 2026. (Photo by Houssam Shbaro\/Anadolu via Getty Images) Anadolu via Getty Images<\/p>\n \u2018RAFAH\u2019 MODEL<\/p>\n Global: Russia Launches Over 270 Drones In Ukraine, Killing At Least 5<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the operation, the IDF will establish a security zone inside Lebanon \u2014 a line of defence against anti-tank missiles \u2014 and will maintain security control over the entire area up to the Litani River, including the remaining Litani bridges,\u201d Katz said in a statement.<\/p>\n Israeli forces would eliminate Hezbollah\u2019s elite Radwan fighters<\/a> who infiltrated the south and destroy all weapons, he said. Displaced residents would not be allowed to return south of the Litani \u201cuntil the safety and security of residents of northern Israel is guaranteed\u201d, he added.<\/p>\n \u201cAll houses in villages near the Lebanese border will be destroyed, in accordance with the model used in Rafah and Beit Hanoun in Gaza, in order to permanently remove the threats near the border to northern residents,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n HEZBOLLAH FIRED 5,000 DRONES, MISSILES<\/p>\n Global: Art Thieves Steal Paintings By Renoir, Matisse From Italian Museum<\/a><\/p>\n Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said that Hezbollah had fired almost 5,000 drones, rockets and missiles at Israel during the conflict. The Israeli military also announced a new wave of strikes it said were targeting Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut\u2019s southern suburbs.<\/p>\n The war is the second major conflict between Israel and Hezbollah since 2024. Israel dealt Hezbollah heavy blows in the last war, killing its leader Hassan Nasrallah and thousands of its fighters.<\/p>\n The Lebanese health ministry has reported that 1,247 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon, including 124 children and 52 medics.<\/p>\n Sources told Reuters last week that more than 400 Hezbollah fighters<\/a> had been killed.<\/p>\n Politics: Deaths In Gaza \u2018Will Soon Accelerate,\u2019 Top Aid Groups Warn<\/a><\/p>\n The Israeli military has reported that 10 of its soldiers have been killed in fighting with Hezbollah, a group founded by Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards in 1982 to export the Islamic Revolution and fight Israeli forces who invaded that year<\/a>.<\/p>\n (Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Alex Richardson)<\/p>\n Read Next<\/p>\n![\"BEIRUT,](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/a0920e4ae976ff988005f9032dc59a42.jpeg\"\/)
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