Today in Focus – Israel’s Second Front: On the Ground in Lebanon (March 24, 2026)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Guardian journalist Michael Safi interviews Middle East correspondent Will Christou about the escalating conflict in southern Lebanon as Israel opens a “second front” against Hezbollah. The discussion offers an on-the-ground perspective from Tyre, south Lebanon, and Beirut, highlighting the humanitarian fallout, military strategies, and the shifting political realities facing Lebanon and Hezbollah. Listeners gain insight into the displacement crisis, the changing nature of life under siege, and how the conflict is evolving parallel to and perhaps beyond the war with Iran.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Arrival in Tyre Amid Escalating Conflict (01:00–03:05)

• Life Amid Danger: Will Christou describes arriving in Tyre, finding everyday life persisting despite debris, airstrikes, and uncertainty.
  • “Despite the debris over the streets and despite the occasional airstrikes, there was still a lot of people there.” — Will Christou (01:17)
• Evacuation Orders: Israel issues an evacuation order, causing chaos and fear among residents and journalists, with automated warnings heightening the sense of threat.
• The Siege Experience: Will records the terrifying sensation of airstrikes, the pressure of blasts shaking his hotel and the overnight transformation of Tyre from bustling city to ghost town:
  • “And immediately what you feel is you feel the pressure of the blasts. It rocks the hotel room windows and it sounds loud like thunder outside your room.” — Will Christou (01:48)

2. The Nature of the Current War in Lebanon (03:05–05:36)

• Unlike the mainly aerial campaign elsewhere, southern Lebanon sees both air and ground warfare—Hezbollah fighters and Israeli soldiers directly confront each other.
• A fifth of Lebanon’s population is now displaced (approx. one million people).
• Parallels are drawn with Gaza, with Israeli ministers openly making comparisons.

3. Life Under Daily Bombardment in Beirut (04:11–05:36)

• Diminished Safety: Previously “safe” areas of Beirut are no longer immune to strikes.
  • “There’s been strikes in central Beirut, hitting hotels, hitting major buildings. So the sense that nowhere as safe is really sort of pervading.” — Will Christou (04:27)
• Resilience Meets Weariness: While some normal life persists (people still going skiing), a sense of national exhaustion and insecurity prevails.

4. Hezbollah’s Transformation and Lebanon’s Internal Debate (05:36–08:33)

• Post-2024 War Shifts: After the last big Israeli war in 2024 and the assassination of Hezbollah’s leader, public debate over Hezbollah’s arms opened up for the first time.
  • “All of a sudden you can talk about certain things you weren’t able to... the issue of whether or not Hezbollah had the right to retain arms in the country, suddenly, you know, all of a sudden it was up for debate.” — Will Christou (06:06)
• Challenges in Disarming Hezbollah: The government’s slow, cautious effort to disarm Hezbollah, with US and Israeli pressure, while avoiding civil strife.
• Hezbollah’s Reconstitution: Iran’s IRGC aids Hezbollah in reorganizing, rearming, and preparing for renewed conflict—largely in secret.

5. Outbreak and Reception of the Current War (08:33–10:17)

• Triggering Event: Hezbollah decisively enters the war after the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader, launching rockets into Israel.
• Lebanese Reaction: Initial anger and fear across Lebanese society, even among Hezbollah’s base, as many foresee devastating retaliation.
  • “He just said, no, no, no, no, because he knew what would happen next...within two hours, Israel just started bombing and pounding the country.” — Will Christou (09:27)

6. Sweeping Israeli Retaliation & Mass Displacement (10:17–14:18)

• Evacuation and Buffer Zones: Massive, escalating evacuation orders cover about 15% of Lebanon’s territory (12:01), creating a million-strong displaced population.

• Humanitarian Crisis: Only 150,000 displaced are in shelters; most are on the streets or in tents, as Lebanon’s bankrupt, dysfunctional state cannot respond adequately.

  • “There’s not enough shelters to accommodate them...only about 150,000 of them are in shelters. And remember that Lebanon... doesn’t have a banking system. Its government is dysfunctional at the best of times. So this is not a country that can handle a displacement crisis like this.” — Will Christou (12:55)

• Social Tensions: Fear and suspicion toward the displaced—worried they will attract Israeli strikes.

7. The Siege of the South: Isolation and Starvation Tactics (14:18–17:11)

• Physical Isolation: Israel bombs bridges (such as those over the Litani river) to cut off southern Lebanon, creating siege conditions for civilians and fighters alike.
  • “As we left, I remember thinking, you know, if they bomb this bridge, that's it, people are stuck.” — Will Christou (15:02)
• Lethal Identifications: Remaining civilians increasingly viewed as legitimate targets due to presumed Hezbollah association.
• Targeting Medical Infrastructure: Over 128 attacks on medical facilities in two weeks; 40 health workers killed.
  • “If they degrade the conditions for life, enough people will be forced to leave.” — Will Christou (17:06)
• Medical Workers in Peril: To lessen risk, emergency workers no longer sleep together or at clinics, but in ambulances parked apart—an attempt to avoid simultaneous casualties.

8. Israeli Strategy: Gaza as the Playbook for Lebanon (18:11–24:24)

• Denials & No Comment: Israel does not respond to Guardian inquiries about targeting medical sites.
• Systematic Approach: The tactic is overt—degrade civilian infrastructure, make life unlivable, force mass displacement, and create buffer zones on Lebanese territory.
  • “This is the Gaza playbook being rolled out in Lebanon.” — Will Christou (18:47)
• Permanent Buffer Zone: Israeli officials openly discuss plans for a buffer zone in southern Lebanon, suggesting Shia populations will not be allowed home “until the northern communities in Israel feel safe”—with human rights experts warning of potential war crimes (forced displacement).

9. Motives & Endgame — Both Parties See This as Existential (20:21–25:53)

• Hezbollah: Views the war as existential, preferring open conflict over being caught unprepared. They hope inflicting costs on Israel buys survival, despite being weakened and outmatched.

  • “Many analysts and other people describe Hezbollah joining the war as suicidal...but they are calculating that if they can bring enough cost to Israel...they might be able to survive the war and fight another day.” — Will Christou (21:09)

• Israel: Seeks permanent security by pushing perceived threats (Hezbollah) far from its border and establishing a long-term buffer zone in Lebanese territory.

  • “Increasingly, it looks like it’s going to exist in southern Lebanon on Lebanese territory.” — Will Christou (22:38)

• Public Anger: Anger at Hezbollah for dragging Lebanon into yet another war and for the possible permanent loss of the South:

  • “People resent Hezbollah for dragging the country into another war. They say, this is not our war.” — Will Christou (21:49)

• No Signs of Diplomacy: Mediation efforts from France and outreach to the US have borne no fruit—Israel isn’t interested, and US isn’t responding.

  • “I think what's going to happen with the war in Lebanon is it’s going to be decided on the battlefield, and then people will come to the table.” — Will Christou (25:41)

• Prospects: The war in Lebanon may continue long after the Iranian front ends, as both major parties see continued fighting as preferable to peace at present.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Despite the debris...there was still a lot of people there.” — Will Christou (01:17)
• “The air was filled with that sort of post airstrike smell, which is a combination of burning rubber and what smells like gunpowder.” — Will Christou (02:32)
• “There’s been strikes in central Beirut, hitting hotels, hitting major buildings. So the sense that nowhere as safe is really sort of pervading.” — Will Christou (04:27)
• “All of a sudden you can talk about certain things you weren’t able to... the issue of whether or not Hezbollah had the right to retain arms.” — Will Christou (06:06)
• “If you move south, you're putting your life in danger.” — Will Christou, on Israel’s evacuation orders (11:42)
• “Lebanon, it’s a bankrupt country. It doesn’t have a banking system. Its government is dysfunctional at the best of times.” — Will Christou (12:49)
• “If you remain there, you slowly become identified as a target.” — Will Christou (16:17)
• “We saw systematic attempts to degrade the health sector, to degrade the conditions of life, targeting medical workers, targeting civilian infrastructure. This is the Gaza playbook being rolled out in Lebanon.” — Will Christou (18:47)
• “Israel has said...they want to create a new security zone, a buffer zone...in southern Lebanon on Lebanese territory.” — Will Christou (22:38)
• “Many of us wanted to think that [Gaza] was an aberration...but now...the Israelis are saying openly that actually, no, this is the new way they want to fight wars, that it’s a model.” — Will Christou (24:37)
• “I think what’s going to happen with the war in Lebanon is it’s going to be decided on the battlefield ...this could stretch on for a very long time, potentially longer than the war in Iran.” — Will Christou (25:41)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:00 – Will arrives in Tyre; evacuation and hotel bombing experience
• 03:05 – Ground war and displacement in the south
• 04:11 – Life in Beirut under bombardment
• 06:06 – Post-2024 war political changes in Lebanon
• 08:33 – How and why Hezbollah entered the current war
• 10:17 – Israeli retaliation and mass evacuation orders
• 12:01 – One in five Lebanese are displaced
• 14:24 – The siege and isolation of Tyre, southern Lebanon
• 17:11 – Attacks on medical facilities, health workers coping
• 20:37 – Hezbollah’s rationale for entering war
• 22:24 – Israeli objectives: buffer zone, doctrine shift
• 24:24 – Gaza as precedent, human rights concerns
• 25:21 – Dim diplomatic prospects, war’s duration/longevity

Tone and Concluding Thoughts

The tone of the conversation is urgent, sobering, and deeply empathetic. Christou provides a firsthand chronicle of suffering, resilience, and fear—tempered by the realism of political and military analysis. Safi and Christou are candid about the catastrophic impact on civilians and the disastrous trajectory of both Israeli and Hezbollah policies, warning that for Lebanon, the conflict is entering uncharted and dangerous territory, with little hope of external mediation.

For more in-depth reporting and ongoing coverage, visit The Guardian’s website.