Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared Monday that the "limited" ground operation launched in South Lebanon will continue "until Hezbollah no longer poses a threat to the residents of northern Israel" - drawing a direct parallel with Israel's military campaign in Gaza.
Hezbollah chief Naim Kassem © Mena Today
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared Monday that the "limited" ground operation launched in South Lebanon will continue "until Hezbollah no longer poses a threat to the residents of northern Israel" - drawing a direct parallel with Israel's military campaign in Gaza.
Katz instructed the IDF to "destroy terrorist infrastructure near the border to prevent Hezbollah's return », modelling the operation on strikes against Hamas in Rafah, Beit Hanoun and the destruction of Gaza's tunnel network.
On the humanitarian dimension, the minister was unequivocal: "The hundreds of thousands of Shiite residents of South Lebanon will not return to the area south of the Litani River until the security of northern Israel's residents is guaranteed."
Katz reserved his sharpest words for Hezbollah chief Naim Kassem, whom he accused of "hiding underground while his actions turn more than one million Lebanese into refugees in their own country." The threat was explicit: Kassem would "soon join in the depths of hell" his predecessor Hassan Nasrallah, eliminated in September 2024, and Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, killed on February 28, 2026.
Hezbollah, Katz concluded, will pay "a heavy price" for its efforts to destroy Israel.
The United States delivered a pointed assessment at the UN Security Council Thursday, accusing the Assad regime of having "permitted or turned a blind eye" to Hezbollah's activities and captagon trafficking networks, allowing the Iran-backed group to "sow destruction in Syria and across the region."
Israel and Lebanon agreed to a 45-day extension of a ceasefire that has tamped down the conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, as two days of talks facilitated by Washington concluded on Friday with an agreement to hold further meetings in the coming weeks.
"This year we will not be at Eurovision, but we will do so with the conviction of being on the right side of history."
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