Defense Minister Yisroel Katz said Tuesday that Israeli forces will establish a long-term security presence deep inside Lebanon following ongoing military operations, including control of territory up to the Litani River and the destruction of villages near the Israeli border.

Katz made the remarks during a high-level security assessment held earlier in the day, attended by senior defense officials, including Deputy IDF Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai, Intelligence Directorate head Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder, and other top military leaders.

Opening his comments, Katz expressed condolences to the families of soldiers killed in recent fighting. “I want to express my condolences to the families on the loss of their loved ones, Captain Noam Madmoni, Staff Sergeant Ben Cohen, Staff Sergeant Maxim Antis, and Staff Sergeant Gilad Harel, fighters in the Nahal Reconnaissance Unit, who fell last night in battle in southern Lebanon. I also wish a speedy recovery to all the wounded.”

He emphasized that Israeli forces are operating in Lebanon to protect residents of northern Israel from immediate threats. “IDF forces are operating in Lebanon in order to defend the residents of the north and to push threats away from them. The soldiers are fighting bravely and with full awareness of the importance of the mission, and the entire nation must embrace the heroic fighters and their families and hold them close to its heart.”

Katz described an aggressive ground campaign targeting Hezbollah strongholds. “The maneuvering forces are entering the villages with great force, using all means, clearing them of Hezbollah terrorists and destroying the terror infrastructure established there, along with the weapons, and demolishing the houses that serve as Hezbollah outposts in every sense.”

Looking ahead, Katz outlined Israel’s intended post-operation posture in Lebanon. “At the end of the operation, the IDF will position itself in a security zone inside Lebanon — along the defensive line against anti-tank missiles — and will maintain security control throughout the entire area up to the Litani, including the Litani bridges that remain — while eliminating Radwan forces that infiltrated the area and destroying all weapons located there.”

He further stated that residents displaced from southern Lebanon would not be allowed to return for the foreseeable future. “In addition, the return south of the Litani of more than 600,000 residents of southern Lebanon who evacuated north will be absolutely prohibited until the security and safety of the residents of the north are guaranteed, and all houses in villages near the border in Lebanon will be destroyed — in accordance with the model of Rafah and Beit Hanoun in Gaza — in order to remove once and for all the threats near the border from the residents of the north.”

Katz also addressed the broader campaign against Hezbollah and its backers. “Indirect fire from other areas in Lebanon is also being handled and will be handled increasingly. We are determined to separate Lebanon from the Iranian arena — to pull out the snake’s teeth and remove Hezbollah’s ability to threaten, and to change once and for all the situation in Lebanon with a security presence of the IDF in the necessary places — with strict enforcement and total deterrence. Just as in Syria and in Gaza — so too in Lebanon.”