Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz reported on the March 24 meeting with senior military leaders. He explained that the IDF will “control the remaining bridges and the security zone up to the Litani” River, about 30 miles into Lebanon. The area Israel intends to fully occupy is much larger than Gaza. Katz elaborated: “Hundreds of thousands of residents of southern Lebanon who evacuated northward will not return south of the Litani River until security for the residents of the north [of Israel] is ensured. The principle is clear: Where there is terror and missiles, there will be no homes and no residents, and the IDF will be inside.” He said that the “Gaza” protocol will be carried out—which he described as demolishing any and all buildings and homes near the Israeli border.
Katz, in speaking of “hundreds of thousands,” is massaging the numbers, as already more than a million have been forced to flee their homes. According to the Lebanese authorities, the Israeli strikes have killed more than 880 people in the past two weeks, with more than 2,000 injured and more than 1 million displaced.
