Israel to turn Southern Lebanon into militarised zone, minister says

Israel intends to transform the area around southern Lebanon’s Litani River into a militarised zone, Defence Minister Israel Katz has stated, while also pledging continued strikes on Beirut if Hezbollah does not halt its attacks.

He warned that if calm is not restored in northern Israel, “there will be no peace in Beirut,” Caliber.Az reports, citing Chinese media.

On May 31, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in a recorded message that he had directed the military to intensify and broaden its control over areas in Lebanon currently held by Hezbollah.

This directive followed the Israeli seizure of Beaufort Ridge, including the strategic castle at its peak, in southern Lebanon. The area lies beyond the “security zone” that Israel has maintained since a ceasefire with Lebanon took effect in mid-April.

The advance, described by media outlets as Israel’s deepest penetration into Lebanese territory in more than two decades, drew swift condemnation from Arab states as well as from France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

Earlier on June 1, an Israeli soldier from an elite commando unit was killed in southern Lebanon when an explosive drone launched by Hezbollah struck the area. Three additional soldiers were wounded, one critically, in the village of Yohmor.

The Israeli military said Hezbollah continued firing rockets and drones toward northern Israel throughout the morning, noting that several were intercepted while others landed in open areas without causing casualties.

Destroying the launcher used in May 31 night’s rocket fire toward the city of Tiberias in northeastern Israel, with no injuries reported.

Later the same day, Netanyahu and Katz issued a joint statement ordering strikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut.

The decision, they said, was in response to what they described as repeated Hezbollah violations of the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon.

Israeli Channel 12 reported that the authorisation followed approval from the United States, allowing Israel to expand its military operations in Lebanon beyond the south to include the capital.

Despite the April ceasefire, Israeli forces have continued near-daily strikes in Lebanon, while Hezbollah has also maintained attacks on Israeli military positions.

According to Lebanon’s Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, Israeli strikes since March 2 have killed more than 3,400 people and injured over 10,200 others.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov