Israeli forces push deeper into Lebanon in widening war campaign

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. TEL AVIV—Israel is expanding its ground operation in southern Lebanon, sending troops into villages farther from its border, in what some former senior security officials worry could turn into a war of attrition. On Thursday, Israel’s military for the second day in row said its troops were reaching new targets in southern Lebanon.

A day earlier, the military announced six soldiers were killed fighting there, in one of the deadliest single incidents for Israeli troops since the start of the ground operation more than a month ago. The soldiers were killed in a firefight with at least four Hezbollah fighters who ambushed Israeli troops inside a building, according to an initial Israeli probe. That is a sign of the continual threat Hezbollah’s guerrilla warfare presents to Israeli soldiers going deeper into Lebanon.

The expanding operation comes as senior Israeli and American officials in recent days have expressed optimism over U.S. efforts to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah, saying a deal is reachable before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, though key sticking points remain. At the start of the land campaign, Israel said its ground forces were entering Lebanon with the goal of removing Hezbollah’s presence along its border and destroying years of preparations by the Iranian-backed militant group to invade northern Israel.

Since the start of October, Israeli troops have killed hundreds of Hezbollah operatives. They have also been razing villages along Lebanon’s border, destroying underground fortifications and seizing weapons, including advanced antitank missiles, according to the Israeli military. “We have expanded the ground maneuver in southern Lebanon and