Israeli War Minister Israel Katz affirmed that the "army" will not withdraw from the security zone in southern Lebanon unless Hezbollah is disarmed, noting that the "army" controls 700 square kilometers in the area.
اضافة اعلان
Speaking at a ceremony marking the reopening of the "Ganim" settlement in the occupied West Bank, Katz mentioned that he visited the security zone in Lebanon yesterday, where he met with commanders and soldiers and viewed the Beaufort Castle, which "Golani Brigade forces reclaimed after 44 years, raising both the Israeli and Golani flags over it." He also inspected Hezbollah tunnels that he described as "destroyed and formidable, detonated with 700 tons of explosives a few days ago, leaving only faint traces on the mountainside," emphasizing that "these tunnels once threatened Israeli communities in Galilee."
Katz noted that "dozens of Lebanese border villages that served as Hezbollah strongholds have been destroyed, flattened, and reduced to rubble." He asserted that "the Israeli army has eliminated this threat once and for all, and the security zone now extends from the sea in the west to Beaufort and the slopes of Mount Hermon in the east—completely depopulated, with an Israeli military deployment inside, and subterranean as well as above-ground terror infrastructure destroyed."
He stressed that the security doctrine he shares with "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is built on neutralizing and eliminating threats, rather than containment and compromises," recalling the "lessons of October 7th," and reiterating that "the Israeli army is defending the borders with Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza against jihadist threats."
Katz announced that he "instructed the army to prepare for a prolonged presence in the field to protect troops and settlements until the objective of disarming Hezbollah is achieved." He expressed "hope for reaching a peace agreement with Lebanon without Hezbollah, within recognized and secure borders," emphasizing that "strength brings security and true peace."
(RT)
