Israel Announces Military Control of Southern Lebanon Up to the Strategic Litani River

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz announced on March 24, 2026, that Israeli troops will establish and control a security zone in southern Lebanon extending to the Litani River, roughly 30 kilometers from the Israeli border, blocking the return of displaced Lebanese civilians until Israel deems northern Israel secure. Katz made the announcement during a briefing with senior military commanders, including IDF Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir. The minister stated that five bridges over the Litani, which he said had been used by Hezbollah to transport fighters and weapons, had already been destroyed by Israeli forces. The zone encompasses roughly 10 percent of Lebanese territory, according to reporting by El Periódico. Katz did not specify whether the military control would be temporary or permanent, nor did he provide a timeline for any potential withdrawal.

Israel previously occupied southern Lebanon from 1982 until the year 2000, withdrawing after a prolonged conflict with Hezbollah. A ceasefire agreement reached in November 2024 required Hezbollah to withdraw behind the Litani River and called for the area between the river and the Israeli border to be demilitarized, with only UNIFIL and the Lebanese Army permitted to operate there. Both sides regularly accused each other of violations in the months following that agreement. The current escalation began on February 28, 2026, when United States and Israeli forces launched strikes against Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel on March 2, 2026, in retaliation, triggering the Israeli ground incursion and air campaign now underway.

Katz explicitly framed the military strategy in southern Lebanon as modeled on Israeli operations in Gaza, specifically referencing what he called the "Rafah and Beit Hanoun model," in which buildings near the border were cleared and demolished to create a defensive buffer. The Lebanese health ministry reported that more than 1,000 people have been killed since the start of this phase of the conflict, including at least 118 children and 40 health workers, according to BBC reporting. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its figures. Over one million people have been displaced across Lebanon, raising warnings of a major humanitarian crisis. Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun described the Israeli plans as a "policy of collective punishment against civilians." Two Israeli soldiers have been killed in combat, according to La Vanguardia.

Key events in the Lebanon escalation: — ; — ; — ; —

Finance minister had already called Litani Israel's new border The announcement from Katz came one day after Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich publicly argued that the Litani River should become Israel's new border with Lebanon, calling for the area south of the river to be turned into a "sterile security zone." Katz stopped short of endorsing that territorial claim explicitly, framing the zone in security rather than annexation terms, though he offered no indication of when or whether Israeli forces would withdraw. Lebanese authorities moved simultaneously on the diplomatic front, declaring the Iranian ambassador in Beirut persona non grata and ordering him to leave the country before Sunday, according to El Periódico. Hezbollah, which was created in the 1980s in response to Israel's occupation of Lebanon, has continued launching daily rocket and drone attacks against Israeli territory and fighting Israeli troops in southern villages, according to La Vanguardia. Lebanon's government has stated its intention to disarm Hezbollah but the group has refused to discuss the future of its weapons. Katz, addressing the Lebanese government's inaction, said during his briefing: „The principle is clear: there is terror and missiles, no homes and no residents — and the IDF is inside.” — Israel Katz via BBC