Israel–Palestine–Lebanon

Israel's defence minister says forces will stay in a 700 km2 security zone in southern Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed

This version is a correction.

DECISIONS AND STATEMENTS
Location
Israel (Defence Minister statement on the southern Lebanon security zone)
Actors
Israel · Hezbollah
Importance
Standard

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on 20 October 2026 that the Israeli army would not withdraw from the security zone it has established inside Lebanon, which he said covers about 700 square kilometres from the western coast to Beaufort (Shaqif) Castle and the southern slopes of Mount Hermon, until Hezbollah is disarmed throughout Lebanon and the threat to northern Israel is removed. He said about 200,000 Shiite residents had been evacuated from the area and that more than 60 villages, including about 23,000 homes he said served Hezbollah, had been destroyed. He warned that if Hezbollah joined an Iranian attack on Israel, the army was ready to push into more territory near Nabatieh and the Litani, which would be emptied of residents and added permanently to the zone, and threatened Beirut's southern suburbs. These are Israeli statements; the figures were not independently verified.

Verification: Probable

Evidence: Israel maintains security zone in Lebanon until Hezbollah disarmed, Katz threatens to expand control in Lebanon if Hezbollah attacks

Defence minister's statement reported by An-Nahar and Israel National News; the territorial and demolition figures are his and were not independently verified. Placement over southern Lebanon.