Israel steps up assault on Lebanon

March 17, 2026·34 min·2 clips

Israel warns its assault on Lebanon is just beginning, with ground troops crossing the border and hundreds of airstrikes hitting civilians.

Israel says this is only the beginning. Jamie Poisson starts in Lebanon, where hundreds of Israeli airstrikes and ground troops crossing the border have turned the country into one of the war's harshest fronts. Israel says it is going after Hezbollah military infrastructure, including missile launch sites, and trying to create a security buffer in southern Lebanon. The human cost is the center of the story. The host cites Lebanon's health ministry reporting at least 850 people killed, including over 100 children. Then comes the scale of displacement: upwards of 800,000 people forced from their homes, almost a fifth of the country. The guest pushes the focus from military language to what is happening on the ground. Asked what is known about Israel's targeting strategy, the guest describes residential buildings and large civilian areas being hit. Reports in Lebanon describe entire families killed at home. Health workers, ambulances, doctors, nurses, and paramedics are pulled into the account of civilian harm too. The ambulance claim gets a direct challenge. The guest rejects claims that ambulances were being used for non-medical purposes and points to protections under international law and the Geneva Conventions. A closing update adds the diplomatic pressure around the fighting. After the interview, the prime minister's office issued a joint statement with France, Germany, Italy, and the UK. It condemns Hezbollah's attacks on Israel and calls for the group to disarm. It also condemns attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, warning that a significant Israeli ground offensive would have devastating humanitarian consequences and must be averted. The countries call for Israeli and Lebanese officials to negotiate a political solution and urge immediate de-escalation.

As heard by us

A stark, grounded account of Israel's widening campaign in Lebanon and the civilian crisis accelerating around it.

Front Burner treats Israel's expanded assault on Lebanon as both a military campaign and a fast-moving civilian emergency. Jamie Poisson lays out the scale plainly: hundreds of airstrikes, Israeli troops over the border, smoke over Beirut, at least 850 people reported killed by…

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Why you'd press play

You want the Lebanon briefing that stays calm when the headlines do not.

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