April 19, 2026, 3:49 p.mApril 19, 2026, 3:49 p.m
According to a media report, after the ceasefire, the Israeli army divided southern Lebanon, which it still controls, into three sections in which it is active. The so-called red line refers to the first row of villages directly on the Israeli-Lebanese border, reported the Israeli newspaper Yediot Achronot.
Most of the buildings there have already been destroyed, there are no longer any fighters from the Lebanese Hezbollah militia in the area, and Israeli ground troops have taken up permanent positions in some places.
The army did not initially comment on the report when asked. Later she only published a graphic of the entire so-called “safety zone” north of the border.
Ground troops in a zone up to ten kilometers wide
“Jediot Achronot” reported that a “yellow line” – based on the model of the Gaza Strip, which continues to be half occupied by Israel even after a ceasefire – runs six to ten kilometers from the border. In this zone, in which dozens of villages are located, shelling of places in northern Israel should be prevented, mainly by rockets. Israeli ground troops are still deployed in this zone, and there are still isolated fights in the area of the Hezbollah stronghold of Bint Jubail.
A soldier at the security border between Israel and Lebanon.Image: keystone
The third line extends to the Litani River, which is about 30 kilometers from the border. The army wants to enforce its control in this area primarily through “firepower and observation posts”.
Netanyahu announced buffer zone
When the ten-day ceasefire was announced on Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the Israeli army should remain in a “reinforced security zone” in southern Lebanon. This extends from the Mediterranean to the Syrian border and is around ten kilometers wide. This serves to protect the towns in northern Israel from Hezbollah attacks.
There is concern in Lebanon that the south will be permanently occupied. After the first Lebanon War in 1982, Israel had already set up a so-called “security zone” in the south of Lebanon. It was not until 2000 that the last Israeli soldiers withdrew from the area after continued losses. The invasion in 1982 and the subsequent occupation, which also aimed to stop the shelling of northern Israel, contributed significantly to the emergence of Hezbollah. (sda/dpa)