INTERNATIONAL, 31 March 2026 (NPA) — Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz announced on Tuesday that Israel will establish and maintain a “security zone” in southern Lebanon extending up to the Litani River. The measure would prevent the return of more than 600,000 displaced residents and involve the demolition of villages near the border.
Following a high-level military assessment, Katz confirmed that Israeli forces will remain permanently deployed in the zone, enforcing strict control measures. He stressed that the initiative is designed to neutralise Hezbollah’s capabilities, sever Lebanon from Iranian influence, and fundamentally reshape the security environment in the region.
The move follows the inability of Lebanese authorities to disarm Hezbollah, which had been a condition for the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah during the height of the war with Hamas. Israel has declared Hamas militarily defeated, but now faces repeated attacks from Hezbollah, which joined the conflict alongside Iran in the broader confrontation involving Israel and the United States.
The plan would extend Israeli presence far beyond the UN-demarcated Blue Line, established in 2000 to confirm Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon. The Litani River, Lebanon’s longest at roughly 170 kilometres, has long been central to Israeli-Lebanese disputes and security proposals.
Cross-border hostilities reignited on 2 March when Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel, breaking a ceasefire that had held since November 2024. Israel responded with intensified airstrikes across southern and eastern Lebanon.
In a related development, the Israeli military reported overnight strikes on weapons production facilities in Tehran, marking the 31st consecutive day of Israeli-U.S. operations targeting Iran.
