Israel's defense minister announced that the Israel Defense Forces had advanced farther into southern Lebanon and seized additional territory to establish a buffer zone aimed at protecting northern Israeli communities from Hezbollah attacks, Reuters reported on March 3.

On March 2, Hezbollah fired rockets and drones into northern Israel — its first major attack since the 2024 ceasefire — explicitly framing the strike as "revenge" for Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's death, which was caused by U.S. and Israeli strikes. The attack unraveled the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire and led to widespread Israeli strikes across Lebanon.