Newsletters
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated on Friday that the Israeli army will continue to hold all territory it has seized in southern Lebanon, and that home demolitions in Lebanese border villages will continue.
He added that the 10-day ceasefire announced by U.S. President Trump is a temporary "freeze" in the midst of a war, not the end of Israel's campaign against Hezbollah.
Katz was unambiguous about Israel's territorial posture.
"The Israeli army holds and will continue to hold all the areas it has cleared and captured. We are inside Lebanon in the midst of a war against Hezbollah, with a freeze in place and a ten-day ceasefire," Katz said.
He said the security zone Israel had established extends 10 kilometers from the border line to the anti-tank line, stretching from the western coast to the Mount Hermon area in the east.
The zone has been cleared of residents, all Lebanese civilians in the area have been forcibly displaced, and house demolitions in border villages will continue.
"The security zone has been cleared of terrorists and weapons and is empty of civilians; it will continue to be cleared of terrorist infrastructure, including the demolition of houses in Lebanese border villages that had become full-fledged terrorist outposts," Katz said.
Katz said Israeli forces had eliminated more than 1,700 Hezbollah fighters—more than twice the number killed in the Second Lebanon War—but that the campaign's objectives had not been fully achieved.
"The ground maneuver into Lebanon and the strike on Hezbollah throughout Lebanon have achieved many accomplishments but are not yet complete," he said.
He specifically noted that the area between the current security zone and the Litani River remains uncleared of Hezbollah militants and weapons. "This must be accomplished either through diplomatic means or by resuming the Israeli military operations after the ceasefire ends," Katz said.
He also warned, "If fighting resumes, civilians who return to the security zone will have to evacuate to allow completion of the mission."
Katz said Israel had planned to significantly intensify strikes on Hezbollah launch areas and power centers north of the Litani River and throughout Lebanon, but that these were halted by the ceasefire before achieving their objectives.
"The strikes on Hezbollah launch areas and power centers beyond the Litani and throughout Lebanon, which we began and planned to intensify significantly, were halted before achieving their objectives and will need to be resumed and carried out," he said.
Katz said Hezbollah disarmament through either military or diplomatic means remained Israel's defined objective, and welcomed Trump's personal involvement as adding significant leverage.
"The goal we set, the disarmament of Hezbollah by military or diplomatic means, was and remains the objective of this campaign to which we are committed, now with a significant diplomatic lever through the direct involvement of the U.S. President and a commitment to this goal, along with pressure on the Lebanese government," Katz said.
Israel previously occupied a similar stretch of southern Lebanon between 1982 and 2000.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
