JERUSALEM – Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz declared on March 31 that the military will raze all homes in Lebanese border villages and bar 600,000 displaced southern residents from returning until northern Israel is secure, mirroring Gaza’s Rafah model.
Katz outlined plans for a post-war buffer zone up to the Litani River, 30 km north of the border, nearly a tenth of Lebanon, maintaining IDF control to neutralize Hezbollah threats. “All houses in villages near the Lebanese border will be destroyed… to permanently remove the threats,” he stated.
The offensive, launched March 2 against Iran-backed Hezbollah supporting Tehran in the regional war, has displaced over 1.2 million Lebanese and killed 1,200, per reports. IDF orders emptied southern swathes, Beirut’s Hezbollah suburbs, and eastern strongholds.
Katz emphasized eliminating elite Radwan fighters and weapons caches, securing Litani bridges against anti-tank missiles. Lebanon’s Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed decried it as a “land grab” risking permanent displacement.
Hezbollah has unleashed nearly 5,000 drones, rockets, and missiles, said IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, prompting fresh strikes on Beirut suburbs. Lebanon reports 1,268 deaths, including 125 children and 52 medics; over 400 Hezbollah fighters lost. Israel mourns 10 soldiers.
Critics pounced: Canadian PM Mark Carney condemned the “occupation” as a sovereignty violation. Stanford’s Tom Dannenbaum warned home demolitions must meet “absolute military necessity” or risk war crime charges, with return bans signaling illegal displacement. Hezbollah denies weapon storage claims, rarely evidenced by Israel.
This escalates the second major Israel-Hezbollah clash since 2024, following heavy losses including leader Hassan Nasrallah.