More than 50 areas in Lebanon have been issued forced displacement notices after Israel deployed troops deeper into the border in what it called a 'forward defense posture'

Israel has announced its soldiers are "operating in southern Lebanon" as it continues strikes against Hezbollah.

IDF troops have been deployed at several points near the border in what it described as a "forward defense posture". More than 50 areas across Lebanon have been issued forced displacement notices, including several neighbourhoods in Dahiyeh where there is a large Shia population, seen as a support base for Hezbollah.

In a post on Telegram, Israel said it was striking "Hezbollah command centres and weapons storage facilities in Beirut".

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Defence Minister Israel Katz said he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorised the move "to prevent fire on Israeli border communities". He continued: "The IDF continues to operate forcefully against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. The terrorist organisation is paying - and will continue to pay - a heavy price for its fire toward Israel."

Katz added that Israel is determined to "defend the border communities," saying: "We promised security to the communities of the Galilee, and that is what we will deliver." The army said there are no plans to evacuate Israeli residents of border areas.

On Monday, at least 52 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Beirut's suburbs and southern Lebanon, while 154 were left injured, according to state-run media. The attacks came after Hezbollah fired a missiles and drones towards an IDF site in the northern city of Haifa.

It comes after Iranian media said a drone and missile attack destroyed a United States air base in Bahrain. The reported strike on Tuesday, March 3, came as hostilities in the Middle East entered their fourth day.

Israel and the US hit Iran in joint strikes on several key sites on Saturday, February 28, killing its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran has retaliated by striking sites across the Middle East.