Israel’s military to occupy swathe of southern Lebanon
Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the Israeli army will occupy Southern Lebanon up to the Litani River; For the first time, Israel has openly expressed its intention to seize territory that makes up almost a tenth of Lebanon.
Katz had previously threatened the Lebanese government that it would lose territory if it did not disarm Hezbollah, the Tehran-backed militant group that opened fire on Israel on March 2, dragging Lebanon into the US-Israeli war against Iran.
On Tuesday, Katz said in a meeting with the chief of staff that the army would “control the remaining bridges and the security zone up to the Litani” and create a “defensive buffer.”
The Litani River meets the Mediterranean Sea approximately 30 km north of Israel’s border with Lebanon.
The army has destroyed five bridges over the river since March 13 and stepped up the demolition of homes in Lebanese villages near the Israeli border as part of a campaign that Israel says is targeting Hezbollah, not Lebanese civilians.
Attacks on civilian infrastructure, including homes and bridges, are generally prohibited under international law.
The Israeli army had previously announced that ground troops carried out limited and targeted raids near the Israeli border.
Katz said no homes or residents could be in areas of southern Lebanon where there was “terrorism” in the area, an apparent reference to Hezbollah, whose fighters continue to launch daily rocket and drone attacks into Israeli territory and fight Israeli troops in southern Lebanese villages.
Katz said Israeli soldiers were maneuvering to establish a “forward defensive line” in Lebanon, fighting Hezbollah militants and destroying infrastructure used by the group, including houses that he said functioned as “terrorist outposts.”
For the second time this week, he said the approach was similar to the military in Gaza’s approach of clearing and demolishing buildings near the border “to create a defensive buffer and divert the threat from communities.”
Israeli attacks on Lebanon have caused widespread destruction in the south of the country and parts of the capital Beirut, killing more than 1,000 people.
More than a million people were forced from their homes.
The United Nations human rights chief criticized Israel’s actions, especially its implementation of widespread evacuation orders.
According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, the dead include approximately 120 children, 80 women and 40 medical personnel.
Two Israeli soldiers were killed in clashes in Lebanon.
President Donald Trump said Monday that Washington and Tehran could soon reach an agreement to end the war after what he called talks between U.S. and Iranian officials.
Iran has denied any negotiations with the United States.
