Israel is currently building up ground forces on the Lebanese border [Odd ANDERSEN / AFP via Getty Images]
Israel’s war on Lebanon, which began on 2 March after Hezbollah launched strikes in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has been steadily expanding to encompass much of the country.
Alongside heavy airstrikes on southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiyeh, which have killed at least 773 people, rhetoric from Israeli officials increasingly points to a large-scale destructive war.
This includes a potential ground operation in the south of Lebanon, which may result in the establishment of an Israeli occupied “buffer zone”. The New Arab takes a look at Israel’s plans for South Lebanon.
Displacement order and military buildup
Since the war began, Israel has announced new displacement orders in the country covering 1,470 square kilometres, 14 percent of the country, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council.
As well as covering the southern suburbs of Beirut, the displacement order includes most of Lebanon’s south, from the Israeli border up to the Zahrani river. In total, some 800,000 people have been displaced.
It comes amid increased threats of an Israeli ground invasion, with a large-scale military buildup in northern Israel.
Israel’s army chief Eyal Zamir said that he ordered a “broad reinforcement” of soldiers to the north to strengthen offensive and defensive capabilities.
This includes deployments of the 98th Division, two brigade-level combat teams, combat engineers, and the mobilisation of reservists from the 252nd Division. Reservist duty for several battalions has also been extended.
A new occupation?
On 5 March, AFP reported that Lebanese officials had expected Israel to advance between 10 and 15 kilometres into the south, following comments made by Israeli officials on establishing a buffer zone.
The Israeli army also announced that troops have taken up positions further inside Lebanon over the last week to “establish a forward defence that will create an additional security layer” for northern Israel.
But rhetoric from Israeli government officials has grown more fierce since the war with Hezbollah expanded, with Israel Katz, Israel’s defence minister, publicly warning on Thursday that if the Lebanese government doesn’t disarm Hezbollah, “we will take the territory and do it ourselves.”
He added that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had “instructed the [army] to prepare for an expansion of [military] activity in Lebanon.”
A ground operation is currently being considered by Israeli military staff, according to a report on an Israeli security cabinet meeting from Israel’s public broadcaster Kan.
The report added that the operation would see Israel take control of all territory south of the Litani River, although it is not known if that would be permanent.
Israel had previously occupied the whole of South Lebanon for eighteen years between 1982 and 2000 following its invasion of the country during the Lebanese civil war. The invasion and occupation led to a protracted conflict with Hezbollah, which it is again fighting.
