Israel moved Wednesday to broaden its offensive into Lebanon to try to destroy Hezbollah strongholds, after naming a new commander to oversee the war. Experts analyze why the Israeli government took these steps.

U.S. ground forces began an "intense artillery barrage" against Iraqi troops near the Kuwaiti border around 8 p.m. local time (noon EST) on Thursday and, nearly an hour later, launched an invasion into Iraq, news reports from the region said.