BBC NewsHour

Israel steps up offensive in southern Lebanon

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The president of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, says Israel's military action in the south of his country is a prelude to a full-scale ground invasion. Israel has started blowing up bridges over a crucial river in southern Lebanon, saying it is targeting infrastructure used by Hezbollah. Could Israel be about to take the next step in the Middle Eastern conflict?

Also in the programme: French voters have gone to the polls - will they tack to the centre ground or lurch to the far-left and far-right? And a British version of the celebrated US TV show Saturday Night Live has made its debut - did it translate well across the Atlantic?

(Photo shows smoke rising after an Israeli strike on a bridge near Qasmiyeh, Lebanon on 22 March 2026. Credit: Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters)
22 Mar 6PM English United Kingdom News

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