BEIRUT (AP) — Israel sent additional troops into southern Lebanon Tuesday and ordered residents of more than 80 villages to evacuate as the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group said it is ready for an open war, escalating the already volatile situation in the region.

By Maya Gebeily, Alexander Cornwell and Jana Choukeir BEIRUT/JERUSALEM, March 3 (Reuters) - Lebanon was pulled deeper into the war in the Middle East on Tuesday as the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah launched missiles at Israel for a second consecutive day and Israel sent troops into the south and carried out waves of air strikes.

The Iran-backed Lebanese militia attacks its powerful opponent with rockets and drones, widening the front in the regional conflict.

Israeli strike hits Hezbollah-aligned media building in Beirut’s southern suburbs following an evacuation warning.

The West Asia conflict expanded to include Iran-backed militias on Monday with an attack by Hezbollah on Israel. Israel struck back against the group in Lebanon while the United States pounded targets in Iran.

Questions remain over who will succeed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who President Donald Trump and Iranian state media said was killed in U.S. and Israeli strikes.

As Israel unleashed a sweeping military response to the brutal assault by Hamas on October 7, 2023, it aimed punch after punch at Iran, the militant group’s longtime sponsor, and its proxies.

This attack marked Hezbollah's first action against Israel's northern regions since 2024, officially joining the conflict alongside Iran. The IDF announced that it precisely struck senior Hezbollah