Mannequins stand inside a clothing store with its storefront destroyed by an Israeli strike in Sour, southern Lebanon, on July 5, 2026. (Credit: Zohra Bensemra/Reuters)
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israeli forces “will continue to remain” in the area controlled by the Israeli army in Lebanon “until Hezbollah is disarmed.”
The region, which covers approximately 620 square kilometers and includes dozens of villages, “will be cleared of its inhabitants,” and all Hezbollah infrastructure, “both above and below ground,” will be demolished, Katz added.
Responding to comments by U.S. President Donald Trump, who said he believed Israel would withdraw from southern Lebanon, Katz said: “We did not ask anyone’s permission to enter Lebanon, and we do not need anyone’s permission to remain here.”
He added that Israel has established a “solid security zone” in the area, stretching from the coastline in the west to Beaufort Castle and “to the foothills of Mount Hermon in the east.”
Amnesty calls for war crimes investigation into Israeli strikes in south Lebanon
