Hundreds of thousands of people will be barred from returning to their homes until the Hezbollah threat is removed, Israel Katz has said

The Israeli military will occupy parts of southern Lebanon to deal with the presence of Hezbollah militants in the area, Defense Minister Israel Katz has said. The effort will involve the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people and the destruction of civilian infrastructure, he added.

Israel began a military operation against Hezbollah in early March after the Lebanese-based militants launched waves of strikes against the Jewish state, in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a joint US-Israeli operation against Iran launched on February 28.

According to Katz, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will “control the remaining bridges and the security zone up to the Litani” – a river 30 to 40 km north of Lebanon’s southern border with Israel.

“Hundreds of thousands of residents of southern Lebanon who evacuated northward will not return south of the Litani River until security for the residents of the north is ensured,” he said on Tuesday at a meeting with senior military leaders. “The principle is clear: Where there is terror and missiles, there will be no homes and no residents, and the IDF will be inside.”

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All the buildings near the Israeli border are to be cleared and demolished, he said, comparing Israel’s tactics in southern Lebanon to those used in Gaza during the recent conflict with Hamas militants.

Katz’s announcement comes just one day after another cabinet member, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, called for the annexation of southern Lebanon up to the Litani River.

Hezbollah described Israel’s plans as an existential threat, saying it has no choice but to fight. Beirut said it expects foreign nations to pressure Israel into stopping the operation. French President Emmanuel Macron has recently condemned the Israeli attacks, calling them unacceptable.

Israel has launched military operations against Hezbollah on a number of occasions since 1978, and occupied southern Lebanon from 1982 to 2000.