Tel Aviv, March 25 -- Israeli Defence Minister, Israel Katz said on Tuesday that the IDF will maintain control of a "security zone" in southern Lebanon up to the Litani River until the threat of Hezbollah is completely removed, indicating a potential long-term military presence beyond the border.
Speaking after an operational assessment with IDF chief Lt Gen Eyal Zamir and senior officers, Katz said displaced Lebanese civilians would not be allowed to return south of the river until northern Israel was secured.
"The IDF will continue to operate in Lebanon with full force against Hezbollah. Hundreds of thousands of residents of southern Lebanon who evacuated northward will not [be allowed to] return south of the Litani River until security...