Israel to occupy southern Lebanon – Defense Minister | 24 March 2026 | The Israeli military will occupy parts of southern Lebanon to deal with the presence of Hezbollah militants in the area, Defense Minister Israel Katz has said. The effort would involve the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people and destruction of civilian infrastructure, he added. Israel started a military campaign against Hezbollah in early March after the Lebanese-based militants launched waves of strikes on the Jewish state. The strikes were a retaliation for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a joint U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran launched on February 28. According to Katz, the Israel Defense Force (IDF) would “control the remaining bridges and the security zone up to the Litani” — a river 30 to 40 kilometers north of Lebanon’s southern border with Israel.