Beirut, Lebanon. Israel has said it will seize a chunk of southern Lebanon to create a buffer zone against Hezbollah militants, raising fears among Lebanese of Israeli military occupation and further displacement.
Evacuation order and expanded military activity
Israel on March 4 ordered all residents south of Lebanon’s Litani River to leave the area, two days after Hezbollah joined the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran by firing rockets at Israel. The river runs east from the Mediterranean about 30 km (19 miles) north of the border with Israel, and about 8% of Lebanese territory lies south of the river.
Israeli ground troops have set up new fortifications south of the river and destroyed homes in emptied villages. Israel views the area as a stronghold for the Iran-backed Shi’ite militia, while the south has historically been a diverse region with Christian and Sunni villages as well.
Officials describe Litani as a security line
Defence Minister Israel Katz said on March 24 that Israel had destroyed five bridges over the river and that the military would “control the remaining bridges and the security zone up to the Litani.” He said troops would remain there as long as there is “terrorism and missiles”.
Military spokesperson Effie Defrin said the same day that the military had defined the Litani River as the “northern security line” and that Israel was “deepening its ground operation with the aim of preventing direct fire at (Israel’s) northern communities.”
Netanyahu says Israel is creating a larger buffer zone
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on March 25 that Israel was “expanding this security strip to keep the threat of anti-tank weapons away from our towns and our territory.” He added: “We are simply creating a larger buffer zone.”
Israel’s military says it has massed thousands of troops in the border area and that troops have carried out what it describes as limited invasions into Lebanese territory. It has not said when or whether it plans ground activity on a larger scale.
Lebanon’s government has not yet made any public comments on Israel’s plans.
How do you think Israel’s stated plans south of the Litani River could affect civilians in southern Lebanon?