Israel to occupy southern Lebanon – Defense Minister

“Hundreds of thousands” of people will be barred from returning to their homes until the Hezbollah threat is removed, Israel Katz has said

The Israeli military will occupy parts of southern Lebanon to deal with the presence of Hezbollah militants in the area, Defense Minister Israel Katz has said. The effort would involve the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people and destruction of civilian infrastructure, he added.

Israel started a military campaign against Hezbollah in early March after the Lebanese-based militants launched waves of strikes on the Jewish state. The strikes were a retaliation for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a joint US-Israeli campaign against Iran launched on February 28.

According to Katz, the Israel Defense Force (IDF) would “control the remaining bridges and the security zone up to the Litani” – a river 30 to 40 kilometers north of Lebanon’s southern border with Israel.

“Hundreds of thousands of residents of southern Lebanon who evacuated northward will not return south of the Litani River until security for the residents of the north is ensured,” the minister said on Tuesday during a meeting with top brass. “The principle is clear: Where there is terror and missiles, there will be no homes and no residents, and the IDF will be inside.”

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All the buildings near the Israeli border are to be cleared and demolished, the minister stated, comparing West Jerusalem’s tactics in southern Lebanon to that used in Gaza during the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas militants.

Katz’s announcement comes just a day after another cabinet member, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for outright annexation of southern Lebanon up to the Litani River.

Hezbollah described Israel’s plans as an “existential” threat and said it had “no choice” but to fight “this aggression.” Beirut said it expects foreign nations to pressure West Jerusalem into stopping its campaign. French President Emmanuel Macron has recently condemned the Israeli attacks by calling them “unacceptable” and arguing that a similar approach had been ineffective in the past.

Israel has launched military campaigns against Hezbollah on multiple occasions since 1978 and occupied southern Lebanon between 1982 and 2000.