Israel Announces Permanent Control Over Southern Lebanon Post-War with Hezbollah

Tue Mar 31 2026 19:01:53 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Israel's defense minister declared intentions to establish a buffer zone in southern Lebanon and maintain long-term security control over the area, exacerbating tensions in an already volatile region.

In a recent statement, Israel's defense minister confirmed that, following the ongoing conflict with Hezbollah, Israel will retain control over parts of southern Lebanon, setting up a buffer zone extending up to the Litani River. This move includes the destruction of villages near the border, a significant escalation that has raised fears of further violence and humanitarian crises in Lebanon. Amidst ongoing airstrikes and ground operations, civilian casualties and displacements in the region continue to rise, prompting responses from Lebanese leadership and international observers.

Israel's defence minister has said a buffer zone will be set up inside southern Lebanon and that Israel will keep security control over a swathe of the territory even after the end of the current war against the armed group Hezbollah.

Israel Katz said the area to be occupied would go up to the Litani River in southern Lebanon - about 30km (18.6 miles) from the border with Israel.

He also said all houses in Lebanese villages near the Israeli border would be demolished.

Israel sent ground troops into southern Lebanon on 2 March and has also been launching broad strikes across the country.

The action was taken after Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel in retaliation for Israel's assassination of Iran's supreme leader in late February, at the start of the war with Iran.

Israel was also carrying out near-daily strikes on Hezbollah before that despite a ceasefire that was agreed in 2024.

Since early March, at least 1,238 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to the Lebanese health ministry, including at least 124 children. The UN's humanitarian affairs office says 52 health workers have also been killed.

In the same period, 10 Israeli soldiers and two Israeli civilians have been killed by Hezbollah attacks, Israeli authorities say.

Others killed in the south in recent days include three Indonesian peacekeepers, and three Lebanese journalists, according to the UN and the Lebanese health ministry.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed it killed two of the journalists, describing them as terrorists without providing evidence to back up its claims. It also said it was aware of reports a female journalist was killed.

It has not yet been established who killed the peacekeepers.

More than a million people - roughly one in every six in the country - have also been displaced, worsening an existing humanitarian crisis in Lebanon.

Israeli officials say the aim is to protect communities in northern Israel from Hezbollah attacks.

Speaking in a video statement published by the defence ministry, Katz provided further details on Israel's military intentions in southern Lebanon:

At the end of the operation, the IDF will establish itself in a security zone inside Lebanon, on a defensive line against anti-tank missiles, and will maintain security control over the entire area up to the Litani.

In addition, the return of more than 600,000 residents of southern Lebanon who evacuated northward will be completely prohibited south of the Litani until the safety and security of northern residents are ensured, he added.

Katz had already announced the intention to create a buffer zone in the south of Lebanon earlier in the month. He had also stated displaced residents would not be allowed back until northern Israel was safe and that houses would be demolished.

However, his latest statement extends the military strategy, indicating that Israeli troops would stay in the region after Israel's war with Hezbollah ends. The Israeli military maintains that all houses in villages near the border will be destroyed to remove any threats to northern residents.

This latest escalation has compounded fears among the Lebanese population, particularly in southern Lebanon, which is Hezbollah's stronghold.

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun has condemned the Israeli plans as a collective punishment against civilians, raising alarms of possible long-term implications for regional stability.