Netanyahu says Israel expanding operations in southern Lebanon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on April 13 that fighting is continuing in southern Lebanon, with military operations now expanding beyond previously held positions.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said Israeli forces are intensifying activity in the Bint Jbeil area, a strategic location that has seen repeated clashes between Israel and Hezbollah over the years, AP reports. 

He said the military is moving beyond five hilltops it had controlled since a 2024 ceasefire with Hezbollah, aiming to establish what he described as a “solid, deeper security zone.”

According to Netanyahu, the objective is to create a buffer that “both prevents the danger of invasion and keeps the threat of terrorism away.”

He has previously said Israel seeks to control territory extending 8 to 10 kilometres from the border in southern Lebanon, in an effort to reduce the threat posed by short-range rockets and anti-tank missiles targeting Israeli communities near the frontier.

By Sabina Mammadli