Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on April 13 that fighting is continuing in southern Lebanon, with military operations now expanding beyond previously held positions.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said Israeli forces are intensifying activity in the Bint Jbeil area, a strategic location that has seen repeated clashes between Israel and Hezbollah over the years, AP reports.
He said the military is moving beyond five hilltops it had controlled since a 2024 ceasefire with Hezbollah, aiming to establish what he described as a “solid, deeper security zone.”
According to Netanyahu, the objective is to create a buffer that “both prevents the danger of invasion and keeps the threat of terrorism away.”
He has previously said Israel seeks to control territory extending 8 to 10 kilometres from the border in southern Lebanon, in an effort to reduce the threat posed by short-range rockets and anti-tank missiles targeting Israeli communities near the frontier.
By Sabina Mammadli
