Source: Reuters
“Israel will occupy southern Lebanon up to the Litani River to create a ‘defensive buffer,’ Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday, spelling out for the first time Israel’s intent to seize territory amounting to nearly a tenth of Lebanon. At a meeting with the military chief of staff, Katz said Israeli forces would ‘control the remaining bridges and the security zone up to the Litani,’ a river that meets the Mediterranean about 30 km (20 miles) north of Israel’s border. Lebanese armed group Hezbollah said it would fight to prevent Israeli troops from occupying southern Lebanon, calling such a move an ‘existential threat’ to the Lebanese state.” (03/24/26)