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Sunday, April 5, 2026
Right-wing MKs demand full IDF occupation of Lebanon up to Litani River, ‘evacuation’ of locals
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Eighteen hawkish lawmakers belonging to the Likud, Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionism parties write an open letter to members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet rejecting the IDF’s apparent plan for a new buffer zone in southern Lebanon and instead demanding the “occupation and full control” of territory as far north as the Litani River, and the “evacuation” of the local population.
The lawmakers, led by Likud MK Amit Halevi, call on the government to “not approve the occupation of only a narrow strip” of land near the border, but to instead set goals “that will bring about a fundamental change in Lebanon, including the full occupation until the Litani River and the complete evacuation of the population.”
“Being satisfied with a few kilometers would be a historic missed opportunity that would return the threat to the residents” of the north, they say, arguing that recent briefings by the IDF “indicate a desire to limit the objectives of the campaign.” If this is the case, they say, the cabinet must reject the IDF’s operational plan.
“In contrast, occupation and full control up to the Litani and beyond in the eastern sector will constitute a real lever against the Lebanese government for the elimination of Iran and its sympathizers and may lead to long-term peace,” they insist. “This is a shorter, safer and more effective border line than the current border, and it is our duty to position the IDF forces on this line.”
The lawmakers further argue that “all Shiite villages in southern Lebanon are indisputably controlled by Iran and its partners and are part of an array that poses an existential threat to Israel.”
The letter is signed by, among others, MKs Ariel Kallner (Likud), Zvi Sukkot (Religious Zionism) and Limor Son Har-Melech (Otzma Yehudit).
A senior military official said Friday that while the Israel Defense Forces aims to significantly weaken Hezbollah and remove the threat the terror group poses to residents of northern Israel, the prospect of fully disarming the group was unrealistic and not a “required goal” of the army’s ongoing ground offensive.
The remarks came as the military said it was set to present to the political leadership its plan to establish a “security zone” in southern Lebanon, which would involve demolishing Lebanese villages near the border and setting up army posts several kilometers inside the country.
The official said that to fully disarm the terror group, it would require the IDF to conquer all of Lebanon, something that it does not plan to do.
The Times of Israel Community.