Israel's Netanyahu orders expansion of southern Lebanon operations to halt Hezbollah rockets

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he had ordered the military to further expand its operations in southern Lebanon, citing continued ​rocket fire by Hezbollah.

Israel said last week it was enlarging a “buffer zone” up to ‌the Litani River. It was not immediately clear whether Netanyahu was referring to that area or to the seizure of additional territory.

“I have now instructed to further expand the existing security zone in order ​to finally thwart the threat of invasion and to push the anti-tank missile ​fire away from our border,” Netanyahu said in a video statement from ⁠Israeli Northern Command.

His office declined to provide further details, and the matter has not yet ​been discussed by the security cabinet.

Last week, Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israeli forces would “control ​the remaining bridges and the security zone up to the Litani,” a river that meets the Mediterranean about 30 km (20 miles) north of Israel’s border.

Israeli strikes and ground operations have killed more than 1,100 people in Lebanon, including children, women, and medical personnel, according to the Lebanese health ministry. It does not otherwise distinguish between civilians and combatants.

The Israeli military has said four of its ​soldiers have been killed ​in fighting in ⁠southern Lebanon.

Netanyahu said the decision aimed to strengthen Israel’s security position along its northern frontier.

He stated that the substantial threat posed by 150,000 missiles and rockets, which were aimed at destroying Israeli cities, had been eliminated.

“However, Hezbollah still has a residual capability to launch rockets at us…We are determined to fundamentally change the situation in the north.”

He said Israel was ⁠conducting ​a multi-front campaign against Iran and allied groups, including ​Hezbollah and Palestinian Hamas in Gaza, and said Israel’s actions were weakening Iran’s regional influence.