Israel’s military ground operation in southern Lebanon has been expanded, the country’s defense minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday. Katz did not clarify when the decision to expand operations was taken and did not offer any details on what the expansion entails.

That's Stuart Livingstone Wallace So, Stuart, what does this expansion of the ground war in Lebanon signal about the potential for a cease fire? We've been talking about this for quite some time. We have.

Israeli forces launched airstrikes on Hezbollah-controlled areas in Beirut for a third consecutive day on Thursday, hitting locations in the capital's southern suburbs early in the morning after a night of heavy bombardments.

Key sticking points include Israel’s demand to retain military action rights against Hezbollah to prevent rearming. Lebanon has rejected the idea of unilateral enforcement by Israel, calling it “unthinkable.” The draft suggests enhanced enforcement of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which mandates disarmament in southern Lebanon.

An Israeli airstrike flattened a building near one of Beirut's busiest traffic junctions on Friday, shaking the Lebanese capital as Israel kept up its intensified bombardment of Hezbollah-controlled areas of the city.