Katz says IDF will keep holding cleared areas in southern Lebanon during ceasefire

Defense Minister Israel Katz said Friday that the Israel Defense Forces will continue holding all territory it has cleared in southern Lebanon during the current ceasefire period, while making clear that Israel does not consider its campaign against Hezbollah complete.

In a public statement, Katz said the fighting is under a temporary pause but stressed that Israeli forces remain deployed inside Lebanon and will keep their positions.

"We are inside Lebanon in the midst of a war against Hezbollah, with a temporary freeze and a ten-day ceasefire," Katz said. "The IDF is holding and will continue to hold all areas it has cleared and captured."

Israel says gains have been made, but objectives remain unmet

Katz said Israel's ground operation in Lebanon, together with strikes on Hezbollah targets across the country, had produced major results. At the same time, he said the campaign has not yet achieved all of its stated aims.

According to Katz, more than 1,700 terrorists have been killed in the fighting, a figure he said is more than double the number from the Second Lebanon War. He also said the IDF has established a security belt reaching up to 10 kilometers from the Israeli border and extending along the anti-tank threat line from the Mediterranean coast to the Mount Hermon region.

He said the purpose of that zone is to prevent infiltration attempts and protect northern Israeli communities from direct fire.

Security zone to remain under IDF control

Katz said the area currently held by Israeli forces has been stripped of Hezbollah terrorists and weapons and no longer has a resident civilian presence. He added that the military intends to continue clearing terror infrastructure there.

"The security zone has been cleared of terrorists and weapons and is devoid of residents, and it will continue to be cleared of terror infrastructure, including the destruction of homes in frontline Lebanese villages which have become terror positions in every sense of the word," he said.

His remarks indicate that Israel intends not only to maintain its military hold over the area during the ceasefire, but also to keep carrying out engineering and demolition operations against Hezbollah-linked infrastructure in the border zone.

Area south of the Litani still a concern

Katz acknowledged that the broader area between the Israeli-held security zone and the Litani River remains under Israeli fire control but has not yet been fully cleared of terrorists and weapons.

He said that issue would need to be resolved either through diplomacy or through renewed military action after the ceasefire ends.

Addressing the possible return of Lebanese civilians to areas south of the Litani, Katz warned that any renewed fighting would trigger fresh evacuation requirements inside the security zone.

"If fighting resumes, any residents who return to the security zone will be required to evacuate to allow completion of the mission," he said.

Warning of renewed strikes if diplomacy fails

Katz also said Israeli strikes on Hezbollah launch sites and strongholds north of the Litani River and elsewhere in Lebanon had been halted before reaching their full objectives. He said those operations may need to resume with force.

He framed the campaign's central goal as the disarmament of Hezbollah, whether achieved militarily or diplomatically.

"The goal we defined - disarming Hezbollah through military or diplomatic means - was and remains the objective of this campaign, and we are committed to that," Katz said.

He added that Israel believes it now has stronger diplomatic leverage, citing direct involvement by US President Donald Trump and growing pressure on the Lebanese government.

Message to northern residents

Katz closed his remarks with a message to residents of northern Israel, many of whom have lived under the threat of Hezbollah rocket fire, anti-tank attacks and infiltration attempts since the war escalated.

"I support the residents of the north, and salute them for their resilience. We promised security for residents of the north, and that is what we will deliver."

The statement underscored Israel's position that the ceasefire is a temporary pause rather than the end of the campaign, and that any final arrangement will be judged by whether Hezbollah is pushed back and stripped of its ability to threaten communities along the border.