Israel announces plan to occupy southern Lebanon up to Litani River as security buffer against Hezbollah

Key facts

• Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz stated Israel will occupy territory up to the Litani River in Lebanon to create a security buffer against Hezbollah attacks.
• Israel ordered all residents south of Lebanon’s Litani River to leave the area on March 4.
• The Litani River lies about 30 kilometres north of Israel’s border and covers around eight per cent of Lebanese territory.
• Israel has destroyed five bridges on the Litani that were used by Hezbollah to move terrorists and weapons.
• Israeli ground troops have set up new fortifications south of the Litani and destroyed homes in emptied villages.
• Hezbollah called any Israeli occupation south of the Litani an existential threat to the Lebanese state.
• UN Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Lebanon war, required Hezbollah to disarm and withdraw north of the Litani and Israel to exit Lebanon.
• Israel retained troops on five hilltops in southern Lebanon after the 2024 ceasefire and attacks continued sporadically.
• Former Indian Ambassador to Lebanon Sanjiv Arora urged India to send humanitarian aid and for the UN to hold an urgent session on Lebanon.