Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Thursday outlined four IDF deployments in Lebanon that he said serve as “the foundations of the plan” for military action against Hezbollah. Katz published the plan in a statement shortly before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he had instructed the government to negotiate with the Lebanese government on dismantling Hezbollah and on a peace deal, noting that the military action against the terrorist group was made possible by “the agreement on separating the fighting arenas.” This was a reference to the Israeli and U.S. position that the April 8 ceasefire with Iran does not extend to the terrorist group in Lebanon. Katz called this “a major achievement led by the prime minister.”
The Israeli action plan in Lebanon “is based on four lines: The border line, which includes demolition of buildings in border adjacent villages in Lebanon,” and second, “The defensive line in Lebanon, which was extended from five outposts to 15,” Katz said. He called the third line the “anti-tank line,” a reference to areas from where Hezbollah is able to directly fire, often with missiles intended for destroying tanks, at Israeli forces, civilians and infrastructure. A ground incursion led to the seizure of the so-called anti-tank line, Katz said, “and we are extending it in additional locations.”
The fourth line, he said, is the Litani line, a reference to the river in Southern Lebanon. The Israel Defense Forces “will control the Litani line as part of its control of the Litani area and prevent the penetration of additional terrorists southward and the return of residents,” Katz said. Hezbollah has amassed its military power south of the Litani. The terrorist group had agreed to end its presence south of the river in the terms of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire that went into effect in November 2024, but the group broke the ceasefire on March 2, joining the fighting against Israel alongside Iran. Independent of the four deployments, Katz said that “the IDF will strike forcefully from the air, in accordance with the model employed in Iran, targeting terrorists and launchers in the Litani area and launch sites beyond it.” (Read More)
