Israel tightens grip on southern Lebanon following peacekeeper deaths

As airstrikes and evacuations escalate, Israeli Defense Minister vows to secure the north, target Hezbollah, and reshape Lebanon’s border landscape.

Annahar

Israel tightens grip on southern Lebanon following peacekeeper deaths

An Israeli raid on the village of Hanway in southern Lebanon (AFP).

As attention turns to today’s emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, requested by France following the deaths of several peacekeepers in Lebanon and amid airstrikes targeting villages and towns, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz stated that Israeli army forces will be deployed within a security zone in Lebanon, on a defensive line designated to counter anti-tank missiles.

The session concluded with Katz stressing that these forces will maintain security control over the entire region up to the Litani River, affirming that the more than 600,000 residents of southern Lebanon who have been evacuated to the north will be prevented from returning to areas south of the Litani until the safety and security of northern Israel’s residents are ensured.

Displaced people walking near their tents set up along the waterfront in Beirut (AFP).

He pointed out that all homes in Lebanese villages near the border will be demolished, following what he described as the Rafah and Beit Hanoun model in Gaza, with the aim of permanently eliminating any potential threat to residents in northern Israel near the border.

He added that efforts are underway to counter the artillery fire originating from other areas within Lebanon, and that these efforts will intensify in the coming period.

He emphasized that Israel is determined to sever Lebanon’s ties to the Iranian sphere of influence, to uproot Hezbollah’s infrastructure and eliminate its threatening capabilities, and that the goal is to bring about a radical change in Lebanon’s reality through an Israeli military presence in locations deemed necessary, alongside strict enforcement of deterrence measures.

He continued, saying: "As is the case in Syria and Gaza, so it will be in Lebanon."

He concluded by affirming that “the Israeli army will protect residents and communities from within enemy territories,” adding that they have pledged to safeguard northern communities, and that this commitment will be fully implemented.