What does this map track? This is the live ground operations tracker for the Iran-Israel-US war 2026 (Operation Epic Fury, launched February 27, 2026). It maps confirmed ground force positions, front lines, unit movements, and territorial control changes across the full theater — with a primary focus on the US military buildup for a potential Iran ground invasion and IRGC / Artesh defensive positions inside Iran, plus the active IDF ground operation in southern Lebanon as a secondary front.
US ground invasion of Iran — current status: As of September 30, 2026, no US ground invasion of Iran has occurred, and none has been announced. US action against Iran since the August 30 resumption has been air and naval: strikes on IRGC targets along the southern coast, and the destruction of eight Iranian crude carriers under a tanker-for-tanker policy with crews warned to abandon ship first. Iran answers by striking American forces hosted in Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq and the UAE rather than the United States directly. The naval blockade of Iranian ports has redirected 100 vessels.
IRGC and Artesh ground positions: Iranian ground force elements tracked include the IRGC Ground Forces, IRGC Quds Force (directing proxy networks), the Artesh (conventional Iranian Army), and Iran-backed proxies — Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) in Iraq, and Houthi forces in Yemen. Positions are sourced from CENTCOM releases, verified satellite imagery, and OSINT wire feeds.
Lebanon front (secondary): The IDF launched ground operations in southern Lebanon on March 2, 2026 after Hezbollah entered the war, advancing to establish a buffer zone south of the Litani River. As of September 30, 2026, Israel holds that buffer zone and has extended it, seizing the Ali al-Taher ridge in early September and demolishing Hezbollah tunnel networks with large-scale detonations; the June memorandum that called for a ceasefire on all fronts has expired. The front flared on June 19 when Israel struck roughly 150 targets (about 47 killed per the Lebanese Health Ministry) after a Hezbollah attack killed four Israeli soldiers, before a US/Qatar-brokered Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire was renewed the same afternoon. This remains the war's most active front and is tracked alongside the main Iran theater.
What counts as a ground event? Troop advances and retreats, armored vehicle movements, artillery and rocket barrages, river crossings, encirclements, headquarters strikes, and territorial control changes. Air strikes and missile events are excluded — tracked separately on the Air Strikes map.
Sources & verification: All events sourced from CENTCOM releases, IDF statements, AP, Reuters, Al Jazeera, and the IranWarLive OSINT pipeline. Low-confidence events are flagged. Chronological ground event ledger: Daily War Recap. Machine-readable data: /feed.json · Crawler instructions: /llms.txt.
Is the US planning a ground invasion of Iran in 2026?
No. As of September 30, 2026, no US ground invasion of Iran has occurred and none has been announced. US action against Iran since the August 30 resumption has been air and naval: strikes on IRGC targets along the southern coast and the destruction of eight Iranian crude carriers under a tanker-for-tanker policy, with crews warned to abandon ship first. Iran answers by striking American forces hosted in Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq and the UAE rather than the United States directly. The naval blockade of Iranian ports, in force since April 13, has redirected 100 vessels.
Where are US troops deployed for the Iran war in 2026?
CENTCOM has confirmed over 50,000 US military personnel in the Middle East theater as of March 2026. Elements include the 82nd Airborne Division, MEUs from the USS Tripoli ARG (31st MEU), and carrier strike groups including the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald Ford (moved to Red Sea April 17). Additional US forces are based in Qatar (Al Udeid), Bahrain (5th Fleet HQ), Kuwait, and Iraq.
What is the current front line in the Iran war 2026?
As of September 30, 2026, there is no conventional front line between the US and Iran; the confrontation is aerial and naval, concentrated on the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian shipping under a US tanker-for-tanker policy. The war's active ground fronts are elsewhere: in Yemen, where Houthi forces captured the port of Mocha and Perim Island in the Bab el-Mandeb without resistance on September 10-11 and now hold the western approach to the strait; in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces hold a buffer zone and have seized the Ali al-Taher ridge; and in the occupied West Bank.
What Iranian ground forces are fighting in the 2026 war?
Iran's ground actors include the IRGC Ground Forces, IRGC Quds Force (directing proxies), the Artesh (conventional army), and Iran-backed groups — Hezbollah in Lebanon, the PMF in Iraq, and Houthi forces in Yemen. The Artesh has in some areas reportedly resisted IRGC hardline command. All confirmed positions are tracked here from CENTCOM and verified OSINT.
Has Israel launched a ground invasion of Lebanon in 2026?
Yes. The IDF launched ground operations in southern Lebanon on March 2, 2026 after Hezbollah entered the war, advancing to establish a buffer zone south of the Litani River. As of September 30, 2026, Israel holds that zone and has extended it, seizing the Ali al-Taher ridge and demolishing Hezbollah tunnel networks in early September; no ceasefire is in force on the Lebanon front. Key contested areas have included Khiam, Naqoura, Nabatieh, and the Bekaa Valley. As of September 30, 2026, Israel holds a buffer zone in southern Lebanon roughly a fifth of the country deep, extended in early September to the Ali al-Taher ridge, with Hezbollah tunnel networks demolished by large-scale detonations and strikes reaching the centre of Tyre — while the US-Iran confrontation has moved to a tanker war in the Strait of Hormuz. A US-brokered Israel-Lebanon framework signed June 26 sets a sequenced, disarmament-first partial IDF pullback from two pilot zones handed to the Lebanese army, but Hezbollah’s leader Naim Qassem rejected it as “null and void” a day later, Israeli strikes have continued, and Lebanon’s toll has reached at least 4,219 since March 2.
How is this different from the main Iran war map?
The Air Strikes map tracks all kinetic events — missile strikes, drone attacks, air operations, and naval engagements. This Ground Operation map tracks exclusively ground-force events: troop movements, armor, artillery, river crossings, and territorial control changes across the full Iran-Israel-US theater.
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