Israel has hardened its stance against Lebanese demands for a withdrawal, insisting it will remain in a “security zone” it has carved out inside Lebanon covering about 700 square kilometers. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz summed up the policy bluntly: “We destroy there and build here,” referring to Lebanon and Israel. The position poses a major challenge to Lebanon and to US-led mediation aimed at securing an Israeli withdrawal and placing all weapons across Lebanese territory exclusively under state control. US General Joseph Clearfield, head of the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon (MCG4L), is visiting Tel Aviv with Lebanese proposals for a mechanism to inspect designated pilot zones and plans to expand them. He is due back on Friday to discuss with the Lebanese army the proposed arrangements and missions for implementing the “framework agreement.” Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam discussed developments in the south, particularly continued Israeli attacks and the destruction and demolition of homes and property in several villages and towns. They also discussed Clearfield’s visit and reviewed items on the cabinet meeting agenda, the Lebanese presidency said. Three-pronged destruction plan Israel is pressing ahead in the border area with a three-pronged destruction campaign: bulldozing homes and civilian structures, burning buildings still standing, and blowing up tunnels, homes and other civilian facilities. Security sources in southern Lebanon told Asharq Al-Awsat that what Lebanese observers could see in the occupied area was “the destruction of all urban infrastructure and the obliteration of the manifestations of life.” They said Israel was also building military positions and raising mounds over the ruins of homes and villages. The work was advancing “at a rapid pace,” the sources said, with explosions intensifying over the past two weeks alongside military measures, deployments across towns along the Yellow Line and incursions toward nearby villages. Ministerial sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the most dangerous Israeli action in the south was the reshaping of border towns and villages. The villages no longer resemble what they once were, the sources said, citing changes to the geography of towns and neighborhoods, the opening of new roads and the razing of homes and orchards. Some villages had not originally been fully surveyed topographically, they added, deepening the impact of the changes underway. Salam on Wednesday condemned the Israeli bulldozing and demolitions. “Attempts to justify the razing and destruction on the grounds that military facilities are being targeted are contradicted by the nature of what is actually being struck on the ground,” he said. “Lebanon’s sovereignty, the security of its people and the right of southerners to return to their land and rebuild their villages are not matters open to compromise.” After the post was published, Salam’s account on X was hacked and the statement deleted. He later reposted it. Bulldozing reaches Bani Hayyan After carrying out hundreds of explosions and bulldozing operations in the border area, the Israeli army on Thursday began razing homes in Bani Hayyan, about 10 kilometers from the border. The move came two days after a large explosion in the town and marked the first incursion by Israeli bulldozers there. Local media reported Israeli sweeping operations in Bani Hayyan alongside shelling and the burning of several homes. Israeli military vehicles were also seen moving around the town. An Israeli infantry force was also reported moving between Aita al-Jabal and Beit Yahoun in the Bint Jbeil district. Systematic destruction The repeated explosions and bulldozing point to a systematic Israeli strategy of destruction, one Katz described openly on Thursday after touring southern Lebanon a day earlier and highlighting the scale of the damage caused by Israeli forces. He said he had seen “the homes of dozens of villages, the Lebanese border villages, that were destroyed, demolished and turned into ruins,” claiming they had been “Hezbollah positions in every sense of the word.” “Here we build, and there is ruin,” Katz said, adding that Israel had “removed once and for all” the threat he said those areas had posed. Katz said the Israeli army now controls about 700 square kilometers of what Israel calls a “security zone” inside Lebanon, stretching “from the sea area in the west to al-Shaqif and the outskirts of the summit of Mount Hermon in the east.” He described the area as “empty of residents” and said Israeli troops were deployed there while what he called Hezbollah infrastructure above and below ground was being destroyed. Long-term occupation Katz said Israel would not withdraw from the territory it occupies in southern Lebanon until Hezbollah was disarmed and what he called its “threat” eliminated across the country. He said he had ordered the military to prepare for a “long-term presence” there. “This position is clear and we stand behind it, the prime minister and I, whether in direct talks with the US leadership or in practice and everywhere,” Katz said. He said he had instructed the army “to prepare for a prolonged presence in the area in order to protect the fighting forces and the communities until this goal is fully achieved.” “We promised the residents of the north security, and that is exactly what we have done and what we will do,” he added. Katz also said on Thursday that Israel’s position on remaining in Lebanon had been raised “in direct talks with the US leadership,” underscoring the continuing dispute over how the framework agreement should be interpreted and the conditions for withdrawal. A senior US State Department official had said that “a permanent Israeli military presence in southern Lebanon is inconsistent with the commitments made under the framework agreement and is not compatible with long-term peace and security for both countries.” The official said Washington remained committed to the agreed path for the gradual redeployment of Israeli forces, alongside steps to verify Hezbollah’s disarmament and the destruction of its military infrastructure.
