Israel's Minister of Defense, Isreal Katz, said on Tuesday (31 March) that all homes in Lebanese villages near the border will be destroyed, and 600,000 people who fled the south will not be allowed home until northern Israel is 'secure'. Isreal is aiming to establish a 'buffer zone' in southern Lebanon, and intends to maintain control over a swathe of territory up to the Litani River after their war with Iran-backed Hezbollah ends.
Israel launched an offensive against Hezbollah on 2 March, displacing more than 1.2 million people. Hezbollah opened fire in support of Tehran on 2 March. The Israeli military (IDF) earlier this month ordered residents to leave swathes of the south, the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut, and the group's political heartlands in eastern Lebanon.
"At the end of the operation, the IDF will establish a security zone inside Lebanon — a line of defence against anti-tank missiles — and will maintain security control over the entire area up to the Litani River, including the remaining Litani bridges," Katz said in a statement.
Israeli forces would eliminate Hezbollah's elite Radwan fighters who infiltrated the south and destroy all weapons, he said. Displaced residents would not be allowed to return south of the Litani "until the safety and security of residents of northern Israel is guaranteed", he added.
"All houses in villages near the Lebanese border will be destroyed, in accordance with the model used in Rafah and Beit Hanoun in Gaza, in order to permanently remove the threats near the border to northern residents," he said.
Source: commonspace.eu with Reuters
