Israel’s prime minister warned his military would ‘break boundaries in every sense of the word’ as he threatened to extend a ‘buffer zone’ in Lebanon as war with Hezbollah and Iran continues
Benjamin Netanyahu has made a chilling vow to extend Israel’s “buffer zone” into southern Lebanon and threatens to continue his war against Hezbollah.
A terrifying new map could show what this “larger buffer zone” might look like after the Israeli prime minister threatened to seize land in the neighbouring nation. Tensions between Israel and its neighbour intensified after Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel in retaliation to Netanyahu and Donald Trump’s strikes on Iran – which killed the supreme leader on February 28. Netanyahu warned he and his military were “breaking boundaries in every sense of the word”.
The leader claims his latest plans are in response to Israel’s conflict with Iran, saying: “We are simply creating a larger buffer zone. Now, dismantling Hezbollah is our focus.
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“This is related to the overall campaign with Iran, which is still ongoing contrary to what has been reported in the media but it is our intention to do everything to fundamentally change the situation in Lebanon.”
In a meeting with Israel’s military chief of staff, the country’s defence minister Israel Katz said the forces would “control the remaining bridges and the security zone up to the Litani” – a river in Lebanon around 20 miles north of the border with Israel.
Katz also said the bridges over this river “have been blown up and the IDF will control the remaining bridges” after the defence minister claimed Hezbollah were using the bridged to move weapons over into southern Lebanon.
In a video statement, Netanyahu said: “We have created a genuine security zone preventing any infiltration toward the Galilee and the northern border. We are expanding this zone to push the threat from anti-tank missiles further away and to establish a broader buffer zone.”
On Monday, Israel’s far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said his country should “apply sovereignty” to parts of southern Lebanon in a shocking call.
This comes as Israel continues to wage war against Iran and Hezbollah, despite Trump dishing out mixed messages on whether he wants to end the conflict or continue.
On Tuesday, the Pentagon ordered US ground troops to the Middle East but negotiators also sent Iran a 15-point peace plan. Despite this, the US President said: “They [Iran] are begging to work out a deal. I don’t know if we’ll be able to do that. I don’t know if we’re willing to do that. They should have done that four weeks ago. They should have done it two years ago.”
Trump and Netanyahu have also appeared to clash after the Israeli leaders suggestion for the US to encourage a street uprising to challenge the Iranian regime. the US President told the Israeli Prime Minister during a telephone conversation last week: “Why the hell should we tell people to take to the streets when they’ll just get mowed down.”
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