Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the military to expand its invasion of southern Lebanon, according to Al Jazeera, as Israeli forces push toward the Litani River in a bid to drive out Hezbollah. Netanyahu stated in a video message from the Northern Command on Sunday that he had instructed the military to further expand the existing security buffer zone, aiming to fundamentally change the situation in northern Israel.

Advancements in Southern Lebanon

Israeli forces have made multiple advances in southern Lebanon in recent days, intensifying efforts to reach the Litani River. According to Al Jazeera’s Obaida Hitto. Reporting from Tyre. The fighting between Hezbollah and Israel has intensified, with Israeli troops reportedly reaching a tributary of the Litani River south of the town of Qantara. This location is just a few kilometers from the actual river, according to Hitto, and could signal a major shift in the conflict.

Hitto described the development as a “big strategic change.” He noted that the tributary is only a few hundred meters from the Litani River in some areas, suggesting that the fighting could escalate significantly. Hezbollah has warned that this move could lead to a major confrontation in the region.

According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, at least 1,238 people have been killed since the war began on March 2, including 124 children and over 3,500 people wounded. On Saturday and Sunday alone, 49 people were killed, including 10 rescue workers and three journalists. The ministry has reported a continuous rise in casualties as the conflict intensifies.

Funeral for Three Killed Journalists

Hundreds of mourners gathered in Choueifat, south of Beirut, for the funerals of three journalists killed in an Israeli air strike while covering the war. The attack, which occurred in the town of Jezzine on Saturday, killed Ali Shoeib, a veteran correspondent for Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV, and Fatiman Ftouni and her brother, Mohammad Ftouni, both of the pro-Hezbollah Al Mayadeen channel. The incident has been described by Lebanon as a “blatant crime.”

Israel’s military said in a statement that it had killed Shoeib in a targeted strike. It labeled him a “terrorist” and claimed, without evidence, that he was a Hezbollah intelligence operative and accused him of reporting on the locations of Israeli soldiers in Lebanon. The military did not comment on the deaths of Ftouni and her brother.

Under intermittent rain, the three were buried in a temporary graveyard, a common practice in times of war for those who cannot be buried in their hometowns. A relative of Ftouni’s, who gave only his first name as Qassem, told AFP that Fatima and Ali were “heroes.”

Al Jazeera’s Obaida Hitto reported that there was a mood of “grief, but also defiance” in southern Lebanon. “As people mourn these journalists, the message from members of the media is clear: they will not be intimidated; they will report nonstop,” he said.

International Response and Concerns

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told public broadcaster France 3 on Sunday that journalists working in war zones “must never be targeted,” including when they “have links with parties to the conflict.” If it is confirmed that the journalists in question were deliberately targeted by the Israeli army, Barrot said this would be “extremely serious and a blatant violation of international law.”

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has documented at least 11 Israeli killings of Lebanese journalists and press workers since the start of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in 2023. These attacks were supposedly brought to an end by a November 2024 ceasefire that Israel has repeatedly violated.

In the Gaza Strip, where Israel fought a war against the Palestinian armed group Hamas from October 2023 until an October 2025 ceasefire that has also been repeatedly breached, 210 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed by the Israeli military, the CPJ said.

The United Nations has reported that more than 1.2 million people have been displaced in Lebanon due to the ongoing conflict. Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr reported from Beirut that “there is no let-up in Israeli strikes,” and the situation remains highly volatile.

Netanyahu’s decision to expand the invasion of southern Lebanon has been widely seen as an escalation of the conflict. The prime minister has previously stated that Israel aims to replicate the “Gaza model” of occupation, a term that has raised concerns among regional and international observers.

With the situation in southern Lebanon continuing to deteriorate, the international community is closely watching the developments. The future of the conflict depends on the actions of both Israel and Hezbollah, as well as the potential for further international intervention or mediation.