Israel Lebanon Security Zone: Katz Vows Indefinite Stay

דבריו של השר כ"ץ היום בשומרון (צילום: דוברות)

Defense Minister Israel Katz addressed a ceremony Thursday marking the return of residents to the Samarian settlement of Ganim, where he outlined Israel's military posture in Lebanon while drawing a sharp contrast with the country's approach to Judea and Samaria.

Speaking before Shomron Regional Council head Yossi Dagan and settlement leaders, Katz described his visit the previous day to Israel's security zone in southern Lebanon, where he met with commanders and soldiers from both regular and reserve units.

"I saw the Beaufort fortress, which the Golani Brigade recaptured after 44 years and where they raised the Israeli flag and the Golani flag," Katz said. He described witnessing destroyed terror tunnels that Hezbollah and Iran had constructed to threaten Israeli communities and potentially invade the Galilee—tunnels that were demolished with 700 tons of explosives days earlier, leaving "only a stain on the mountainside."

The defense minister painted a picture of widespread destruction in Lebanese border villages, which he said had served as Hezbollah positions used repeatedly to attack Israeli communities and civilians. "Here we build, there lies destruction," Katz said, explaining that Israel had permanently removed this threat.

According to Katz, the IDF currently controls 700 square kilometers of Lebanese territory as a security buffer zone, stretching from the Mediterranean coast in the west to the Beaufort and the outskirts of Mount Hermon in the east. The area is empty of residents, he said, with terror infrastructure both above and below ground destroyed.

Katz emphasized a shift in Israeli military doctrine: "The IDF today is an army of decision and victory." He said the security concept led by Prime Minister Netanyahu and himself, together with partners in security forums, focuses on "decision and removal of threats, not containment and arrangements. Those days have passed. We internalized the lesson, we remember what happened on October 7, we understand what is required and that's what we're doing."

The defense minister stated that the IDF is protecting borders and communities in Syria, Gaza, and Lebanon against jihadist threats. "As I said yesterday during my visit there, we will not withdraw from the security zone in Lebanon as long as Hezbollah is not disarmed and the Hezbollah threat throughout Lebanon is removed," he stressed.

Katz said he has instructed the IDF to prepare for an extended stay in the territory to protect fighting forces and communities until the objective is fully achieved. "We promised security to the residents of the north and that's exactly what we did and will do," he pledged.

The defense minister expressed hope for future peace: "God willing, from this determination, courage, and strength, God willing that process being discussed, a peace agreement with Lebanon, without Hezbollah, with recognized and secure borders, God willing this too will happen, proving that strength brings security, but what does it bring? Real peace. I hope this will also happen."

Turning to Judea and Samaria, Katz drew a fundamental distinction: "Here in Judea and Samaria it's something else. Here is our home, here is the Land of Israel, here we remain forever. We are returning home to a place from which settlements were uprooted, returning to the land of the forefathers, the land of the prophets."

Katz's remarks come amid sharp criticism from the United States regarding his statements about Israel's continued presence in southern Lebanon. A senior State Department official clarified that such statements contradict commitments made under agreements with the United States and Lebanon.

Additionally, recent events in the West Bank village of Kusra have sparked a diplomatic storm with Washington. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee responded sharply to settlers allegedly taking over a Palestinian home, explicitly calling them "Israeli terrorists."