Israel begins ground operations in southern Lebanon — Key Events — Levant

What happened

Israeli ground forces enter southern Lebanon from about 16 March 2026; IDF statements name the 91st and 36th Divisions. Displacement in Lebanon peaks above one million people according to IOM tracking.

The ground campaign produced the Israeli-held zone that now defines the front and the displacement that remains: IOM counted about 341,000 people internally displaced as of 15 September 2026. Lebanese casualty totals are carried only as the Ministry of Public Health's figures, attributed.

Confidence: High

When~16 Mar 2026 onward

KindMilitary · Humanitarian

ArenaIsrael–Lebanon / Blue Line

Confidence: High Sources: Israel Defense Forces — Spokesperson's Unit announcements ↗ · IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix — Lebanon ↗ · UN OCHA Lebanon — humanitarian reporting ↗ · L'Orient Today / L'Orient-Le Jour ↗ Methodology Corrections

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Connected records

3 records that this event names, or that name it — every one an explicit reference in a published record, nothing inferred from subject matter.

Part of1

Campaigns whose record places this event inside them.

Lebanon war 2026The ground operation

Actors2

Actor records this event names.

Where this fits

This is one entry in the Levant timeline. The full Key Events surface carries every dated turning point with its filters and its essential subset, and this event in place shows what came before and after it. How Vigil grades, dates and sources its claims is set out in the methodology.