What is the end goal of Israel’s new war in Lebanon?

Episode 486 of the Beyond the Headlines podcast, hosted by The National News, titled "What is the end goal of Israel’s new war in Lebanon?" was published on March 19, 2026 and runs 21 minutes.

March 19, 2026 ·21m · Beyond the Headlines

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Summary

About one million people have been forcibly displaced in Lebanon and almost a thousand killed in Israel’s renewed war with Hezbollah. The Iran-backed group fired missiles at Israel in early March, joining Tehran's retaliatory attacks in the war with the US and Israel that began on February 28. Israel’s response was immediate and aggressive, extending beyond Lebanon’s southern towns and striking central Beirut. The army is pushing deeper into the country, with plans for a ground invasion that could deal a more devastating blow than the 2024 war. Lebanon has never had good options. The US-brokered ceasefire that ended the 2024 war was violated by Israel thousands of times. The Lebanese government’s promise to disarm Hezbollah has not materialised. And the country’s south could now be on the verge of occupation. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher examines Israel’s ambitions in Lebanon and asks what it would take to prevent a full-scale invasion. She speaks to Joseph Bahout, director of the Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut, and Lebanese journalist and political commentator Khalil Harb.

Episode Description

About one million people have been forcibly displaced in Lebanon and almost a thousand killed in Israel’s renewed war with Hezbollah.

The Iran-backed group fired missiles at Israel in early March, joining Tehran's retaliatory attacks in the war with the US and Israel that began on February 28.

Israel’s response was immediate and aggressive, extending beyond Lebanon’s southern towns and striking central Beirut. The army is pushing deeper into the country, with plans for a ground invasion that could deal a more devastating blow than the 2024 war.

Lebanon has never had good options. The US-brokered ceasefire that ended the 2024 war was violated by Israel thousands of times. The Lebanese government’s promise to disarm Hezbollah has not materialised. And the country’s south could now be on the verge of occupation.

In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher examines Israel’s ambitions in Lebanon and asks what it would take to prevent a full-scale invasion. She speaks to Joseph Bahout, director of the Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut, and Lebanese journalist and political commentator Khalil Harb.