Hezbollah says it will fight any Israeli move to occupy south Lebanon, calls it existential threat

By Reuters and ToI Staff 24 March 2026, 2:39 pm

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Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah speaks to the press in the southern Lebanese village of Bint Jbeil on November 27, 2024, after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect. (Anwar Amro / AFP)

Lebanese terror group Hezbollah will fight to prevent Israeli troops from occupying southern Lebanon, one of the group’s top lawmakers, Hassan Fadlallah, tells Reuters, saying such an occupation would pose an “existential threat” to Lebanon as a state.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said earlier that he had instructed the military to establish a “security zone” south of the Litani River, which runs about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the Israeli border, until Hezbollah no longer poses a threat.

The group has resisted international calls and demands by the Lebanese government to disarm and halt its attacks on the Jewish state.