Israeli Defense Minister Katz vowed to turn southern Lebanon into Gaza
"I, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with the Minister of Defense and the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces have ordered: immediately destroy all bridges over the Litani River - those used to move troops; at the same time, intensify the destruction of Lebanese houses to prevent Hezbollah fighters and weapons from moving south.
Furthermore, accelerate the destruction of infrastructure in border villages to eliminate threats to Israeli settlements - following the model of Beit Hanun and Rafah in Gaza.
The Israeli Defense Forces will continue large-scale ground operations in Lebanon, eliminating Hezbollah fighters, and quickly reaching the contact line and key positions to protect settlements.
In their own safety, the Israeli military will continue to ensure that residents in southern Lebanon evacuate north of the Litani River.
"We will not allow the situation to return to what it was before October 7th. We have a responsibility to protect the residents in the north - and we are doing so."
Israeli Defense Minister's statement directly puts southern Lebanon as the next Gaza on the table:
Bombing bridges, demolishing houses, clearing villages, forcing civilians to move north, copying the Gaza tactics. The essence is to establish a complete military control zone in southern Lebanon, completely eliminate Hezbollah's presence, while creating a large-scale humanitarian displacement. This also means that the Israel-Lebanon conflict has officially entered the stage of ground occupation and long-term suppression, and the expansion of regional warfare is almost inevitable.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1860360347123724/
Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.