Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that he has ordered the expansion of the “security zone” established in southern Lebanon. During a visit to the Northern Command headquarters, he said that the move is aimed at completely preventing the threat of infiltration by Hezbollah and pushing anti-tank missile fire further from the border.
Netanyahu did not specify whether the expansion would be within or outside the existing zone, but Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz had previously said that the security zone would be extended to the Litani River. According to him, no Lebanese citizen would be allowed to return to their homes until the threat posed by Hezbollah to northern Israel is completely eliminated. The statement is being described as the toughest yet on Israeli intentions in Lebanon, which could bring about a tenth of the country under Israeli control.
The situation is reminiscent of the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon from 1985 to 2000, when Israel established a similar “buffer zone.” Clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah are still ongoing, and the IDF says several Hezbollah members have been killed in recent operations, while another Israeli soldier has been confirmed dead. This is the fifth Israeli soldier to be killed since the latest advance in Lebanon.
Meanwhile, a projectile fell near a position of the United Nations Interim Force (UNIFIL) in southern Lebanon, killing one peacekeeper and seriously wounding another. The force said it was not yet clear where the projectile was fired from, and an investigation into the incident was ongoing. “No one should lose their life in the service of peace,” UNIFIL said.
The head of the World Health Organization also condemned the killing of a medical worker in an attack on an ambulance in southern Lebanon on Sunday, blaming it on “escalating Israeli military operations” in the region. He said a warehouse of medical supplies was also destroyed in the attack.
The rising tensions in the region, the Israeli advance, and the deaths of civilians and peacekeepers have raised concerns that the border clashes could escalate into a major conflict.
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