Israel has sent troops into southern Lebanon and told residents of more than 80 villages to evacuate as the Iran-backed militant Hezbollah group said it was ready for an “open war” with Israel in the wake of the U.

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 airstrikes.

As Israel intensifies its campaign against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia, Lebanon is now teetering on the brink of being fully sucked into the escalating US and Israeli war on Iran – a fate the fragile Lebanese government has been desperate to avoid.

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

The militant group’s attacks, apparently at the behest of Iran, led to retaliation from Israel and were “practically a suicide mission” for Hezbollah, an analyst said.

Even as Iran’s missile retaliation intensifies, Israel has opened a new front in Lebanon, sending ground troops into Hezbollah-controlled areas. Defence Minister Israel Katz said the move was approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to seize ...

In the past day, the IDF says it has struck over 160 Hezbollah targets, including members of the terror group, in southern Lebanon. The targets in south Lebanon included Hezbollah

The Israeli military said troops advanced to protect border towns from Hezbollah attacks, spurring fears that the government is weighing a wider ground war.