Tuesday 03 / March / 2026
The Israeli military has said its soldiers are “operating in southern Lebanon" as Israel continues strikes against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in the neighboring country.
It said troops had been deployed at several locations near the border to help increase security for residents of border areas in northern Israel.
In a statement, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said: "To prevent the possibility of direct fire targeting Israeli communities, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I have authorized the IDF to advance and secure additional strategic areas in Lebanon, and from there to defend the border communities."
The announcement comes as Hezbollah has said it has targeted three Israeli military bases with drone or rocket strikes in reponse to Israel's "criminal" attacks on its strongholds in Lebanon, including in Beirut.
It said its fighters had attacked the Ramat David air base and the Meron base in northern Israel with drones, and a a base in the occupied Golan Heights with rockets.
The wife of US President Donald Trump, Melania Trump, has chaired a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York that focused on children, technology and education in conflict situations.
The meeting came after unconfirmed reports that dozens of children have been killed at a girl's school in southern Iran amid Israeli and US strikes, while several schools across the Middle East have been closed amid the widening conflict, with pupils moving to remote learning.
Although Melania Trump did not mention the US-Israeli offensive launched on Saturday against Iran, she offered her condolences to the "families who have lost their heroes, who sacrificed their lives for freedom" as she opened the session.
"The US stands with all of the children throughout the world. I hope soon, peace will be yours," she said.
In her remarks, the US first lady stressed that education was vital for preventing conflict, saying that if countries make it a priority, it "leads to something powerful — to greater understanding, moral reasoning — and tolerance of others. Peace."
"I implore you to build a future generation of leaders who embrace peace through education," she told council members.
It was the first time the spouse of a world leader has chaired a Security Council meeting.
President Trump and his administration have often criticized the UN as ineffective and corrupt.
