Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel’s military will widen its ground campaign in southern Lebanon.
Speaking at a news conference, Netanyahu said an expansion of the country’s “security belt” in Lebanon is intended to “thwart the threat of invasion and to keep the anti-tank missile fire away from our border.”
Israel has been carrying out an invasion of southern Lebanon since Iran-backed Hezbollah began attacking Israel in response to its war on Iran, which it launched alongside the U.S. on Feb. 28. Since March 2, nearly 1,200 people have been killed and more than 3,400 have been wounded in Lebanon. Nineteen people have been killed in Israel.
Netanyahu’s announcement is likely to intensify fears that Israel intends to model its invasion of southern Lebanon on its yearslong military offensive in Gaza.
In recent weeks, Israel’s offensive has blown up bridges, destroyed homes and led to the displacement of more than 1 million people across southern Lebanon. Satellite imagery has shown the extent of the devastation in the country’s south — and a growing number of Israeli military bases established in the area.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz recently said his country would establish a “security zone” in southern Lebanon and take control of key river crossings, a move that would leave hundreds of thousands of people displaced indefinitely.
Humanitarian organizations have warned of the destruction of entire residential areas while sounding the alarm over the mounting toll.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the “Gaza model must not be replicated in Lebanon” as he called on both Hezbollah and Israel to halt hostilities.
