Is Israel planning a full-scale ground invasion of Lebanon?
Global News Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 8.3K Ratings
🗓️ 23 March 2026
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Israel’s defence minister has announced that his country is expanding its ground campaign in Lebanon. Israel Katz warned of a prolonged operation against the Iran-backed group, Hezbollah, after the Israeli government ordered the destruction of all crossings over the Litani River. The Israeli military also says it expects several more weeks of fighting against Iran. Meanwhile, Tehran has warned it will fully close the Strait of Hormuz if Washington follows through with President Trump's threat to "obliterate" power plants in Iran. Also: in France's local elections, the Socialist candidate, Emmanuel Grégoire, claims victory in Paris, while in a boost for the nationalist right, an ally of Marine Le Pen is set to become mayor of Nice; hundreds of Syrians protest in Damascus against strict new alcohol laws; the new AI robots that can repair themselves and adapt to their environment; and a critic's view of Saturday Night Live UK's debut.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts. |
| 0:05.6 | You're listening to the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:11.1 | Hello, I'm Oliver Conway. We're recording this at 5 o'clock GMT on Monday the 23rd of March. |
| 0:17.6 | Israel says it's expanding its ground offensive in Lebanon after bombing a key bridge. |
| 0:23.3 | Iran says it will completely close the strait of Hormuz if the U.S. attacks its power plants. |
| 0:29.0 | And after local elections in France, are we any clearer about whether the far right will take power next year? |
| 0:37.0 | Also in the podcast, |
| 0:38.7 | Imagine a robot that is not just one robot, |
| 0:42.5 | but it is made of parts that are themselves robots. |
| 0:46.5 | The new AI robots that can keep going even if they lose a leg. |
| 0:54.1 | But first, is Israel about to launch a large-scale ground invasion of Lebanon? That's the |
| 1:00.6 | fear of the Lebanese president after Israeli forces were ordered to destroy all bridges over the |
| 1:05.7 | Litani River. Israel's defense minister said this was aimed at stopping Hezbollah fighters moving south towards Israel. |
| 1:13.5 | He also ordered the demolition of homes in some villages near the border. |
| 1:17.5 | Fellow minister, Amichai Chikli, says the operation is aimed at keeping Israelis safe. |
| 1:23.0 | Our mission is to create a buffer zone, just like we've created in Gaza, |
| 1:27.4 | and to make sure that |
| 1:29.4 | the villages that Hezbollah has turned into a fortress of terror, loaded with ammunition |
| 1:37.4 | in every second home, missiles, anti-tank missiles, rockets, motor cycles waiting for invasion. That's our mission |
| 1:47.8 | to push backwards the terrorists of Hezbollah and to make sure that our villages on the northern |
| 1:55.6 | border will be safe. The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health says Israel has killed more than |
| 2:00.7 | a thousand people in Lebanon |
... |
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