Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has said that hundreds of thousands of people will be barred from returning to their homes in Southern Lebanon as Israel occupies the country. The occupation will continue until the Hezbollah threat is removed.

Katz’s announcement comes just one day after another cabinet member, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, called for the annexation of southern Lebanon up to the Litani River.

Israel began a military operation against Hezbollah in early March after the Lebanese-based militants launched waves of strikes against the Jewish state, in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a joint United States-Israeli operation against Iran launched on February 28th. In an effort to eliminate Hezbollah, Israel will need to displace hundreds of thousands of people and destroy civilian infrastructure, he added

According to a report by RT, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will “control the remaining bridges and the security zone up to the Litani” – a river 30 to 40 km north of Lebanon’s southern border with Israel.

“Hundreds of thousands of residents of southern Lebanon who evacuated northward will not return south of the Litani River until security for the residents of the north is ensured,” he said on Tuesday at a meeting with senior military leaders. “The principle is clear: Where there is terror and missiles, there will be no homes and no residents, and the IDF will be inside.”

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Katz said that every single building near the Israeli border is to be cleared and demolished. He compared Israel’s tactics in southern Lebanon to those used in Gaza during the recent conflict with Hamas militants.

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Hezbollah described Israel’s plans as an existential threat, saying it has no choice but to fight. Beirut said it expects foreign nations to pressure Israel into stopping the operation.

French President Emmanuel Macron has recently condemned the Israeli attacks, calling them unacceptable. –RT

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