Netanyahu discusses expanding buffer zone in southern Lebanon

Israel is considering a more active push into southern Lebanon and expanding its military presence there to prevent Hezbollah attacks on Israeli forces and civilian areas, according to two Israeli sources cited by CNN.

On the evening of March 9, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a meeting with senior security officials to review the situation in Lebanon amid Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets and increasing rocket fire into Israel. Israeli military officials reportedly recommended expanding the security buffer along the border.

The discussion on strengthening the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) presence in southern Lebanon followed incidents where several Israeli soldiers were injured by anti-tank rockets. 

Pushing Hezbollah to more distant positions would reduce the threat from rockets with an 8-kilometre range. “We have a problem with these missiles, and you cannot deal with this only being a mile or a mile-and-a-half inside Lebanon,” one Israeli source said.

Since the ceasefire agreement in November 2024, Israel had occupied five positions in southern Lebanon. Last week, the IDF announced it had captured several more positions, expanding its presence in response to a Hezbollah attack on March 2.

On March 9, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar met with UN envoy to Lebanon Janine Hennis-Plasschaert. Sa’ar stated that over the past week, Hezbollah fired more shells at Israel than Iran, emphasising that the IDF’s deployment in Lebanon is aimed at protecting Israeli citizens.

The IDF reiterated that it will not be forced to evacuate populations along Israel’s northern border—a decision made more than two years ago amid ongoing Hezbollah attacks.

By Jeyhun Aghazada