Israel says will destroy homes in Lebanese villages near border

JERUSALEM: Israel said on Tuesday it plans to destroy all homes in Lebanese villages near the border as part of a strategy to establish a buffer zone, with Defence Minister Israel Katz warning that displaced residents will not be allowed to return until security is fully restored.

Citing a “Gaza model,” Katz said Israel would demolish all houses in border villages and maintain control over a swathe of southern Lebanon up to the Litani River, as fighting continues with Iran-backed Hezbollah.

“At the end of the operation, the Israeli army will establish a security zone inside Lebanon… and will maintain security control over the entire area up to the Litani River,” Katz said, adding that all homes in villages near the border would be destroyed to eliminate threats to northern Israel.

He said displaced residents would not be permitted to return south of the Litani until Israel’s security concerns are addressed, while Israeli forces would target Hezbollah fighters and destroy weapons in the area.

More than 1.2 million people have been displaced and at least 1,247 killed in Lebanon since Israel launched an offensive against Hezbollah on March 2, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. The ministry said the dead included 124 children and 52 medics.

Israel said the campaign was triggered after Hezbollah opened fire in support of Iran amid a wider regional conflict. The Israeli military said Hezbollah has fired nearly 5,000 drones, rockets and missiles at Israel since the fighting began.

The planned buffer zone would extend up to the Litani River, located about 30 kilometres north of Israel’s border and covering nearly a tenth of Lebanon’s territory. The Israeli military has already ordered evacuations from large parts of southern Lebanon, including Hezbollah strongholds in the south and east, as well as the southern suburbs of Beirut.

Katz said Israel would eliminate Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force and destroy all remaining weapons, while maintaining control over strategic infrastructure, including bridges over the Litani.

The war marks the second major confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah since 2024. In the previous conflict, Israel dealt heavy blows to the group, killing its leader Hassan Nasrallah and thousands of fighters, according to Israeli and independent reports.

Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said the group continues to pose a threat, while also confirming that Israeli forces have launched fresh strikes targeting Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Sources have said more than 400 Hezbollah fighters have been killed in the current conflict, while Israel has reported the deaths of 10 of its soldiers.

Hezbollah, founded by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in 1982, has long been engaged in conflict with Israel, with the latest war adding to already high regional tensions.