Israel says it will occupy southern Lebanon and will not allow residents to return anytime soon.

BarcelonaIsrael will militarily occupy southern Lebanon up to the Litani River, 30 kilometers from its border, Defense Minister Israel Katz admitted. The stated objective is to create a "defensive buffer zone." the same defensive model that it has used in Gaza. The army, which had already begun a ground invasion and blown up several bridges over the river, issued evacuation orders and will now control "the remaining bridges and the security zone up to the Litani, an area equivalent to one-tenth of Lebanon." Kati's statements also alluded to the war. "Hundreds of thousands of residents of southern Lebanon, who were evacuated, will not return south of the Litani River until the safety of residents in northern Israel is guaranteed," the minister asserted, referring to Israelis living near the border with Hezbollah, which has warned it will fight with all its might to prevent this. "We have no choice but to accept this aggression and hold onto the land," Hassan Fadlallah, a member of the militia, told Reuters. Forces are establishing an "advanced defensive line" in southern Lebanon and destroying infrastructure used by Hezbollah, including houses he described as "outposts." "Advanced terrorists." The minister maintains that the practice of demolishing houses follows "the model of Rafah and Beit Hanoun in Gaza."

Officially, the position of Benjamin Netanyahu's Israeli government is that the objective of the attacks is to kill Hezbollah fighters and commanders. The militarized zone is the latest step in the Israeli strategy to control southern Lebanon. Since March 13, it has accelerated the demolition of houses in Lebanese villages near the border—an act prohibited by international law—in a supposed military campaign against Hezbollah, but which is primarily affecting civilians. 2,966 others have been wounded in Israeli attacks since March 2.

Since Lebanon's independence in 1943, Israel has carried out operations on Lebanese territory seven times. Since the last offensive, launched in October 2020, the border has been closed. In this regard, the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, has He said the war could have been avoided if Israel had withdrawn from the occupied areas of southern Lebanon and abided by the 2024 ceasefire. Aoun had already warned this weekend that the Israeli attack on the country's bridge was the "prelude to a ground invasion." All of this has left many Lebanese worried about whether Israel plans to permanently occupy the south of the country.

While preparing its ground offensive, Israel has continued its air attacks. Israeli missiles have struck several areas of Lebanon, including the Christian city of Sahel Alma, north of Beirut (attacked for the first time since the start of the conflict), and several locations in the southern city of Tyre. Other Israeli attacks targeted the southern cities of Kfar Tebnit and Mahrouna. Two paramedics were among the casualties, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.

France was the first country to react to Katz's statements, urging Israel to refrain from launching this ground operation and warning that it could have "significant humanitarian consequences" that would "exacerbate the already dire situation in the country." French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has "strongly" condemned the Israeli government's intentions because, he says, "they contravene all the major principles that, until now, [...] have served to try to resolve the security and stability problems in Lebanon."