The IDF is set to present a plan this week to the political echelon to establish a new security zone in southern Lebanon, including the widespread destruction of villages along the border. The proposal would prevent residents from returning to frontline areas where Hezbollah terrorists operated near Israeli communities, creating a long-term buffer between the two sides.

According to military sources, the plan calls for a 2–4 kilometer (1.2–2.5 mile) security strip inside Lebanon, where structures and infrastructure would be systematically demolished. “We will establish a security strip 2–4 kilometers from the Lebanon border,” officials said. “We will destroy dozens of Lebanese villages along the front line and prevent residents from returning.” The IDF is also expected to build a new line of outposts and maintain control over the area for years.

LMilitary officials said disarming Hezbollah is currently “not an objective of the campaign,” though later clarifications stressed it remains a longer-term aim. The focus, instead, is on physically pushing threats away from Israeli border communities.

The plan builds on earlier statements by Defense Minister Israel Katz, who said Israel intends to establish a Gaza-style buffer zone in southern Lebanon and suggested that “all homes” in frontline villages could be destroyed. However, the IDF’s current presentation appears more operationally defined, highlighting a gap between political rhetoric and military planning. The proposal will require legal approval before implementation.