Israel said on Tuesday that it planned to keep military control of part of southern Lebanon after its war with Hezbollah ends, marking its clearest public signal yet that the current campaign could lead to a long-term Israeli presence across the border.
Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israeli forces would hold a “security zone” stretching to the Litani River, around 30km north of Israel’s border, and said houses in Lebanese villages near the frontier would be demolished. He said the measures were intended to stop Hezbollah from rebuilding its positions close to northern Israel.
The announcement goes beyond the framework of the November 2024 ceasefire, which called for Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon and for Hezbollah fighters to move north of the Litani River. That arrangement has effectively collapsed since heavy fighting resumed earlier this month.
Katz’s comments appeared to formalise what Israeli officials have increasingly indicated in recent weeks: that territory taken in southern Lebanon would be turned into a buffer area aimed at preventing Hezbollah from re-establishing a military presence near the border. He also indicated that displaced residents would not be allowed to return until Israel considered the area secure.
Hezbollah has previously said it will not accept any lasting Israeli presence on Lebanese territory. Lebanese officials have repeatedly called for a full Israeli withdrawal and for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, the 2006 measure that was meant to keep the area south of the Litani free of armed groups other than the Lebanese state and UN peacekeepers.
The Litani River has long been a key reference point in security arrangements between Israel and Lebanon. Israeli control of territory up to the river would amount to a substantial strip of southern Lebanon. Israel occupied much of the same area from 1982 until its withdrawal in 2000.
Israel had already maintained forces at five strategic positions in southern Lebanon during the ceasefire period, even as Hezbollah was reported to have reduced much of its military presence south of the Litani and transferred positions to the Lebanese army. The latest statement suggests Israel is now preparing to make a broader hold on Lebanese territory part of its post-war policy.
The renewed war began in early March, when Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel and Israel responded with a large-scale air and ground offensive in Lebanon. Since then, Israeli strikes have hit Hezbollah positions and associated infrastructure, while exchanges of fire across the border have continued.
Lebanese health authorities say at least 826 people have been killed and 2,009 injured since the latest escalation, including paramedics. The fighting has displaced large numbers of civilians from towns and villages in the south, and Katz’s threat to demolish homes near the border is likely to deepen fears that many residents may be unable to return for an extended period.
Britain and other governments have called for de-escalation and a return to the framework of Resolution 1701. In statements issued earlier this month, the UK urged full implementation of the resolution and backed the authority of the Lebanese government, while warning of the growing humanitarian impact of the conflict.
Any Israeli decision to retain territory inside Lebanon after the war is likely to draw diplomatic scrutiny and further complicate efforts to revive a ceasefire. It also raises the prospect that, even if large-scale fighting subsides, the dispute over control of southern Lebanon will remain a central flashpoint on Israel’s northern border.