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Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated on Monday that Tel Aviv has launched a ground maneuver in southern Lebanon and threatened destruction comparable to what Israel carried out in Gaza.
He also warned that hundreds of thousands of displaced Lebanese will not be allowed to return to areas south of the Litani River until the safety of northern Israeli residents is guaranteed.
Following a situation assessment with Deputy Chief of Staff Tamir Yadai, Military Intelligence Director Shlomi Binder and other senior military officials, Katz said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had instructed the Israeli army to act.
"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I instructed the Israeli army to act and destroy the terrorist infrastructure in the border-area villages in Lebanon, to prevent threats and Hezbollah's return to the area, exactly as was done against Hamas in Gaza in the Rafah region, Beit Hanoun, and in wide areas that were neutralized, and as is being done now against the terror tunnels in Gaza," Katz said in a video statement.
Katz added that the Israeli ground maneuver is aimed at "removing threats and protecting the residents of the Galilee and the north," and gave no indication of when the operation might end.
Katz warned that displaced residents south of the Litani River will not be permitted to return home indefinitely.
"Hundreds of thousands of Shiite residents of southern Lebanon who have evacuated or are evacuating from their homes in southern Lebanon and Beirut, will not return to their homes south of the Litani area until the safety of Israel's northern residents is guaranteed," he said.
Katz also directly threatened Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem, saying he was "hiding underground" while turning more than a million Lebanese Shiites into "refugees in their own country."
"If Naim Qassem misses Nasrallah and Khamenei so much, he will be able to meet them soon in the depths of hell, together with all the thwarted members of the axis of evil," Katz said.
"Hezbollah will pay a heavy price for its aggression and its activity in the Iranian axis of Israel's destruction. Those who sought to destroy will be destroyed. We promised security for the residents of the north, and that is exactly what we will ensure," he added.
Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said at a news conference in Doha that escalation "will not bring peace or security," and that Israel is "violating" Lebanon's sovereignty on a daily basis, continuing to "perpetrate crimes in the Gaza Strip" and "taking advantage" of the current situation in the occupied West Bank.
Germany urged Israel to refrain from launching a ground offensive in Lebanon.
Government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said, "We see preparations for a major Israeli ground offensive, which would significantly worsen the already tense humanitarian situation in the region and would contribute to a further increase in the number of refugees."
"That is why we are also urging our Israeli friends not to go down this path and are in contact to convey this message," he added.
Lebanon's Health Ministry said on March 15 that 850 people have been killed, including 107 children, and 2,105 wounded in Israeli strikes since March 2.
Lebanon's Disaster Management authority said more than 830,000 people have been forcibly displaced by Israel's occupation and attacks.
Israel began striking southern Lebanon less than 48 hours after it and the U.S. launched attacks against Iran more than two weeks ago.
The Israeli army had previously announced that troops had begun "limited and targeted" ground operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
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