JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced Tuesday that the Israel Defense Forces will maintain control of a security zone in southern Lebanon extending up to the Litani River until the threat from Hezbollah is removed.

“The IDF will continue to operate in Lebanon with full force against Hezbollah,” Katz said during a situational assessment with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and other senior officers. “Hundreds of thousands of residents of southern Lebanon who evacuated northward will not return south of the Litani River until security for the residents of the north is ensured.”

Katz added that all bridges over the Litani River previously used by Hezbollah to move operatives and weapons into southern Lebanon have been destroyed. The IDF will control the remaining bridges and the security zone up to the river.

“The principle is clear: Where there is terror and missiles, there will be no homes and no residents, and the IDF is inside,” he said.

The comments come amid ongoing IDF ground operations in southern Lebanon aimed at neutralizing Hezbollah infrastructure near the Israeli border.

Separately, the IDF reported that troops operating on the Lebanese side of Mount Dov recently located a Hezbollah tunnel shaft and demolished other structures used by the terror group.

Katz’s remarks echo Israel’s stated goal of creating a buffer zone to protect northern Israeli communities from Hezbollah attacks, following months of cross-border fire that intensified into broader conflict. Lebanese officials have not immediately commented on the latest Israeli statements.