Israel says it will keep control over part of southern Lebanon after war with Hezbollah ends. 15 hours ago. Yolande Knell,Middle East correspondent, Jerusalemand. Alys Davies. AFP via Getty Images. 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.. Lebanon’s Defence Minister Maj Gen Michel Menassa said Katz’s remarks reflected “a clear intention to impose a new occupation of Lebanese territory”. European nations, Canada and the UN also criticised Israel’s announcement.. 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.. Israel’s ‘Gaza model’ for Lebanon | Global News Podcast. 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.. Live updates: Iran war. Two Indonesian UN peacekeepers killed in explosion in Lebanon. Three Lebanese journalists killed in Israeli strike, say broadcasters. Tears and defiance as Lebanese family bury child, 11, killed in Israeli strike. Speaking in a video statement published by the defence ministry on Tuesday, Katz gave 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, a
