Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, announced on Tuesday that Israel would establish a « buffer zone » in southern Lebanon and maintain control of it « to the Litani River ». In the same statement, he stated that the displaced Lebanese inhabitants of the South could not return until the security of the residents of northern Israel was guaranteed. He also stated that the houses of Lebanese villages near the border would be destroyed.
This statement marks a further tightening of the Israeli discourse on the Lebanese front. So far, the Israeli authorities have referred to the expansion of operations in southern Lebanon in the name of security on the northern border. This time, the Minister of Defence publicly describes a specific territorial arrangement, backed by the Litani, well beyond the border line. Reuters reports that he also referred to the control of bridges in the area as part of a strategy to prevent the relocation of hostile forces to the area.
Displaced persons from southern Lebanon explicitly targeted
In his remarks, Israel Katz claimed that more than 600,000 people from southern Lebanon evacuated to the north would not be allowed to return until the security of the Israeli border communities was assured. This formulation places the issue of internally displaced persons at the centre of the announced Israeli strategy. It directly links the return of Lebanese civilians to the military objective set by Israel on its northern border.
The Israeli Minister also stated that all houses in Lebanese villages near the border would be destroyed. According to Reuters, he presented this measure as a means of eliminating any potential threat near the Israeli border. The announcement, formulated in general terms, covers all homes in these villages and not individually designated military targets.
An announcement following an extension of operations
This declaration comes after a new step taken by the Israeli government in recent days. On 29 March, Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the army to further expand operations in southern Lebanon in response to Hezbollah fire. Reuters said that the Israeli Prime Minister wanted to expand what he presented as an existing security band along the border.
A few days earlier, Israel Katz had already indicated that the army would control the security zone until the Litani. His intervention on Tuesday thus publicly confirms this orientation and further clarifies it, adding two major elements: the ban on the return of Lebanese displaced persons and the announced destruction of houses in border villages.
The Litani at the heart of the announced device
The Litani River is the territorial landmark mentioned by the Israeli Minister. Reuters recalls that this river reaches the Mediterranean about 30 kilometres north of the Israeli border. By setting this threshold, Israel designates a wide area of southern Lebanon as an area to be controlled militarily.
This reference is not new in Israel’s security discourse, but it is of particular significance in the current context. It gives a clear geographical boundary to the « buffer zone » described by the Minister of Defence. It also serves as a basis for the Israeli position on the return of displaced Lebanese civilians.
