Israel has issued mass evacuation warnings across southern Lebanon, including the area south of the Litani River, the Dahiyeh district of Beirut, and the Bekaa Valley, as its military operations escalate following the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on February 28, 2026. Hizballah responded to the assassination with the launch of six missiles into Israel, marking its first offensive action since a ceasefire agreement in the fall of 2024.
The recent escalation represents a significant widening of the conflict initiated after Khamenei’s death. While Israel has routinely violated the 2024 ceasefire with missile and drone strikes over the past year and a half, the current offensive includes ground incursions, such as a commando raid conducted through Syria into the Bekaa Valley. According to reports, over one million Lebanese citizens – approximately a quarter of the country’s population – have been displaced as a result of the intensified fighting.
The renewed Israeli assault has reignited debate within Lebanon regarding national sovereignty and the capacity for self-defense, as well as broader questions surrounding the future of resistance movements against Israeli aggression in the region. Rima Majed, an associate professor of sociology at the American University of Beirut, noted the complex internal dynamics at play. “Lebanon is facing a multi-layered crisis,” Majed stated in a recent MERIP roundtable discussion. “The question of resistance is not simply about military capacity, but about the political and social conditions that allow for sustained opposition to Israeli policies.”
The conflict’s expansion also raises concerns about the potential for further regional destabilization. According to a Democracy Now interview with Laleh Khalili on March 19, 2026, the war on Iran and its reverberations are reshaping the global economy, potentially challenging the dominance of the petrodollar. Khalili’s analysis suggests that the conflict is not solely a regional issue, but one with significant global economic implications.
Ali Musleh, an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of California, Davis, highlighted the impact of increasingly automated warfare on civilian populations in Palestine and Lebanon. “The use of drones and precision-guided munitions is changing the nature of conflict,” Musleh explained during the same MERIP roundtable. “It allows for targeted attacks, but also creates a climate of constant fear and uncertainty, disrupting everyday life and undermining traditional forms of resistance.”
The current situation in Lebanon is further complicated by the country’s existing political and economic challenges. A 2016 study by Joseph Daher, Hezbollah: The Political Economy of the Party of God, details the complex socio-political role of Hezbollah within Lebanon, a factor influencing both the group’s military capabilities and its relationship with the broader Lebanese population. The displacement of over a million people is exacerbating existing humanitarian concerns and placing further strain on Lebanon’s already fragile infrastructure.
The international community has yet to issue a unified response to the escalating violence. While calls for de-escalation have been made by various nations, concrete steps towards a ceasefire remain elusive. A recent dispatch from South Lebanon, published by the Middle East Report in January 2024, described the daily realities of life under the threat of Israeli aggression, highlighting the resilience of the Lebanese population and their commitment to resistance.
The MERIP podcast discussion also referenced Rashid Khalidi’s The Hundred Years War on Palestine, which provides historical context for the ongoing conflict, framing it as a century-long struggle over land and self-determination. A 2025 MERIP issue focused on “The Material Politics of Normalization” explored the impact of Arab states’ normalization of relations with Israel on the Palestinian cause and regional stability.
As of March 23rd, 2026, when the MERIP roundtable discussion was recorded, Israeli forces continued to conduct missile and drone strikes across Lebanon, with no indication of an imminent ceasefire. The United Nations has not announced any fresh diplomatic initiatives to address the crisis, and the Lebanese government remains largely silent on the ongoing military operations.
