Lebanon denounces Israel’s ‘clear intention’ for new occupation

By AFP 31 March 2026, 10:26 pm

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Lebanon denounces what it calls Israel’s plans for “a new occupation of Lebanese territory,” after Israel said it would establish a “security zone” in the country.

Lebanese Defense Minister Major General Michel Menassa says the remarks by his Israeli counterpart Israel Katz are “no longer mere threats,” but reflect “a clear intention to impose a new occupation of Lebanese territory, forcibly displace hundreds of thousands of citizens, and systematically destroy villages and towns in the south.”

Katz also said Israel would have “security control” up to the Litani river, an idea which Menassa denounces as “a deepening of the aggression against Lebanese land and national sovereignty.”