Israel Prepares Wide-Scale Ground Invasion of Lebanon to Dismantle Hezbollah Infrastructure

Israel is preparing a wide-scale ground invasion of Lebanon, according to Axios, with plans to significantly expand its ground operation to seize the area south of the Litani River and dismantle Hezbollah's military infrastructure.

A senior Israeli official told Axios, "We will do what we did in Gaza," referring to the destruction of buildings that Israel accuses Hezbollah of using to store weapons and launch attacks.

26 September Net

The L'Orient-Le Jour report also says a senior Israeli official told Axios, "Before this attack, we were ready for a ceasefire in Lebanon, but after that, there is no turning back in the face of a massive operation," after Hezbollah fired more than 200 missiles in a massive coordinated attack.

In the same account, a US official told Axios, "The Israelis must do what they have to do to end Hezbollah's fire," as the report links the escalation to Hezbollah’s missile barrage and Iran’s retaliatory projectiles.

The report places the immediate context of the wider regional conflict alongside Lebanon-related developments, including the Lebanese Health Ministry’s statement that an Israeli strike against a health center in South Lebanon killed at least 12 members of medical staff in Bourj Qalawiya.

Hezbollah described fighting in Haddatha, saying that on May 19, 2026, at 8:10 p.m., a combined force attempted to advance from the village of Rshaf toward Haddatha and that its fighters ambushed it near the southern entrance of Haddatha, in the stadium area.

In a statement carried by اسلام تايمز, Hezbollah said, "At 8:50 p.m., a Merkava tank attempted to advance toward the Haddatha pond area," and that its fighters destroyed it before engaging the accompanying force.

ABNA English

The same Hezbollah account says that at 10:15 p.m. another force attempted to advance toward the junction leading to Aita Al-Jabal and that its fighters destroyed a second Merkava tank.

Islamic Resistance fighters also issued multiple statements reviewed by Saba, including statement No. 22 that said, "At 10:15 PM on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, Islamic Resistance fighters clashed with an Israeli enemy force" and destroyed a Merkava tank.

Saba’s report frames the clashes as a response to Israeli attacks on southern villages and says the operations were carried out "in defense of Lebanon and its people" as part of Operation Protective Edge.

The Lebanese government decided on Thursday to ban any possible military activity by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and to impose visas on Iranians entering the country, in a measure aimed at tightening the chokehold around Hezbollah, according to The Times of Israël.

Information Minister Paul Morcos said the Council of Ministers decided that in the event of proven presence of IRGC members in Lebanon, to "ban all activity … and arrest them … with a view to their extradition," and he added that Iranians should now obtain a visa to enter Lebanon.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem, in a televised address broadcast on Wednesday, told the Lebanese government, "By God, how strange you are," and asked, "What is your response to this large-scale aggression?"

The Times of Israël reports that Qassem said Hezbollah’s resumption of rocket fire on Israel was "in response to 15 months of violations against us," including the targeting of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, which the report says was eliminated Saturday at the start of the American-Israeli bombardment campaign.

The same account says Qassem argued that an official August decision by the Lebanese government to place all of the country’s arms under state control was "a grave mistake that weakened the Lebanese state’s position and legitimized Israel’s aggression," as the regional escalation continues.