Katz says Israel will hold ‘security zone’ in south Lebanon until Hezbollah threat removed

Defense Minister Israel Katz says Israel will control a “security zone” in southern Lebanon, up to the Litani River, until the threat of Hezbollah is removed.

“The IDF will continue to operate in Lebanon with full force against Hezbollah. 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 says during an assessment with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and other top officers this morning.

Katz says that all bridges over the Litani River that had been used by Hezbollah to move operatives and weapons into southern Lebanon “have been blown up, and the IDF will control the remaining bridges and the security zone up to the Litani.”

“The principle is clear: Where there is terror and missiles, there will be no homes and no residents, and the IDF will be inside,” he adds.

Meanwhile, the IDF says that troops operating on the Lebanese side of Mount Dov recently located a Hezbollah tunnel shaft, and demolished other structures used by the terror group.