Jerusalem, 24 March, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel is establishing a security zone in southern Lebanon south of the Litani River, with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) taking full control of bridges and key positions to prevent Hezbollah attacks, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Friday.
“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,” Katz said during an assessment at the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv with Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and senior officers.
Katz said hundreds of thousands of residents who fled southern Lebanon during the fighting will not be allowed to return until the area is deemed secure.
“The principle is clear: there is terror and missiles — no homes and no residents — and the IDF is inside,” Katz insisted.
Katz said Israel is continuing to target Iranian forces as well. He accused Hezbollah of acting as “a tool of the Iranian terrorist regime” and criticized the Lebanese government for failing to disarm the group despite prior pledges.
“The IDF is maneuvering into Lebanese territory to seize a front line of defense, eliminate Hezbollah terrorists, and destroy terrorist infrastructures,” Katz said. He compared the operations to Israeli tactics in Gaza, targeting houses in border villages used as Hezbollah outposts.
Five bridges over the Litani previously used by Hezbollah to move fighters and weapons have been destroyed. Katz said Israel Will control the remaining bridges and the security zone up to the river, creating a buffer to protect northern Israeli communities.
The ceasefire of November 2024 requires Hezbollah to withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon and prohibits it from operating south of the Litani River.
Following Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023, Hezbollah began daily rocket fire at northern Israeli communities, prompting thousands of residents to flee. Since November 2024, Israel has carried out numerous airstrikes against Hezbollah activities in violation of the ceasefire. The ceasefire completely collapsed on March 2 when Hezbollah fired rockets at northern Israel following the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, marking the terror group’s first launches in more than a year.