The Gazafication of Southern Lebanon.
The Gazafication–that is, total destruction–of southern Lebanon was always part of the Israeli plan. In remarks to reporters on Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz admitted as much. He said during a briefing with military correspondents that “it was clear during Operation Silver Plow that the Shia villages along the contact line had to disappear,” reported Middle East Eye. He hinted that the Israeli military sought the total destruction of border towns along the “Yellow Line,” the buffer zone south of the Litani River.
“We are currently in a situation where there is nearly 100 percent destruction in the contact-line villages of the western and central sectors. In the eastern sector, we are at 73 percent of villages destroyed,” he said, as if that were some kind of achievement. “Seizing territory and dismantling all infrastructure within it is the heaviest blow possible for jihadist organizations,” Katz claimed.
About one million Lebanese, most of them Shiites, have been driven from their homes. Katz said none of them would return to the Yellow Line area, which “must remain free of population.”
So, Israeli security is to be achieved by burning down their neighbors’ houses and stealing the land underneath them so they can never return. If any other country tried that, the howls of condemnation would be deafening.
MEE notes that Israel launched “Operation Silver Plow” in April, saying its aim was to clear Lebanese villages along the border of Hezbollah troops. Since then, the operation has seen the targeting of residential areas and buildings, with forces ordering demolitions using heavy equipment alongside continuous air strikes across the area.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid a visit to the occupied area yesterday accompanied by Katz and IDF deputy chief Maj Gen Tamir Yadai, where he echoed Katz’s comments from Monday. “As long as Hezbollah, armed, is here, threatening us, we will stay here,” he said, reported The National.
The National cites leaked versions of the additional security annex to the framework deal, saying that “highly-qualified” Lebanese Armed Forces soldiers will be deployed to the cleared-out zones. It is unclear whether this description means they would require additional vetting or training, but it is understood to refer to Lebanon’s elite Ranger Regiment. The deal places the onus on the Lebanese army to clear Hezbollah from areas, a deeply sensitive task in Lebanon, where internal tensions are bubbling. Confronting Hezbollah could lead to civil war, many warn, The National notes.
