The Israeli army occupies new positions in South Lebanon
The initiative taken by Hezbollah on the night of March 1st to March 2 to reactivate the South Lebanon front, presumably at the request of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, will it lead to a return of Israeli occupation in part of the country's southern region? This question was acutely raised on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in light of the announcement by Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, of the Hebrew State's decision to "take control of additional areas" in South Lebanon "to protect border communities."
Clearly, the Israeli army will advance into Lebanese territory and occupy new sectors that will be added to the five strategic positions from which the IDF had not withdrawn after the implementation of the ceasefire agreed upon in November 2024.
This new partial occupation of new territories near the border between the two countries could have two explanations. It could be the prelude to the establishment of a buffer zone between Lebanon and Israel to further secure the border and northern Israel. The question would then be to know what the extent and depth of this "security zone" could be, and what political consequences this occupation could have on bilateral negotiations. Would the Hebrew State take advantage of this advance into Lebanese territory to impose a peace agreement or at least a binding security arrangement?
Some observers even go so far as to envision the occupation of much larger portions of territory than a buffer zone, alluding in this regard to a possible scenario similar to that of 1982. Proponents of this thesis rely on repeated calls launched by the Israeli army to the inhabitants of the South to evacuate their villages as soon as possible.
However, a much less ambitious hypothesis, politically, is put forward in light of the current context. The new positions occupied by Israel could serve to facilitate targeted and meticulously planned operations that commando units would carry out deeper into Lebanese territory.
It will therefore be necessary to wait a few days to learn more about the true intentions of the Netanyahu cabinet. Immediately, the Lebanese army carried out a tactical withdrawal from about twenty positions not far from the border with Israel.
In any event, while awaiting the true intentions of Tel Aviv to become clear, the inhabitants of South Lebanon are once again suffering the anguish of forced exodus, while Israeli aviation continued on Tuesday, for the fourth consecutive day, to intermittently bomb the southern suburbs of Beirut as well as many villages in the southern regions. In the afternoon, a raid targeted a "Islamic Jihad" headquarters in Saida.
Intensive raids against Tehran
In Iran, Israeli aviation announced that it had carried out the ninth wave of air attacks against the centers and infrastructure of the Mullahs' regime in Tehran on Tuesday. Intensive raids were thus carried out against several sectors of the capital, which was covered in a thick cloud of black smoke by late afternoon. One of these raids notably targeted the building where the 88 experts called to elect the new Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic were supposed to meet. The building was completely destroyed.
Furthermore, an airstrike killed the new Iranian Defense Minister who had succeeded the former Defense Minister two days earlier, who had been killed on February 28 during the first wave of raids against the capital. This first wave had allowed the Hebrew State's air force to neutralize Iranian air defenses and thus ensure total control of the airspace over the Tehran region.
It should also be noted that missile firings continued on Tuesday against several Gulf countries. The US embassy headquarters in Riyadh was notably hit by two missiles, which caused only minor material damage. In the early evening, a strong explosion was heard in Dubai.
This Iranian shelling spared no Gulf country and even encompassed the Sultanate of Oman, which had nonetheless redoubled its efforts in recent years to serve as a mediator between the Islamic Republic and the West. The intensification of missile fire towards the Gulf has significantly deteriorated relations between the monarchies and the Islamic Republic. Over the past forty-eight hours, several Gulf countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman, have adopted an openly hostile, aggressive, and firm discourse towards Tehran, which will undoubtedly have a serious impact on the future face of the Middle East.