Netanyahu ruled out withdrawing the army from the border area until Hezbollah was completely disarmed and no longer posed a threat to Israel.Image: keystone
Jul 1, 2026, 2:17 amJul 1, 2026, 2:17 am
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the army to completely destroy the infrastructure of the Shiite Hezbollah militia in southern Lebanon. According to the government press office, during a visit to the troops, Netanyahu referred to all above- and underground facilities that the militia had used to attack Israel, such as tunnels. Netanyahu continued: “That is the instruction: leave nothing behind, and that is exactly what you are doing.”
In addition, soldiers should act immediately if they detect a threat to their lives, said Netanyahu. He also ruled out withdrawing the army from the border area until Hezbollah was completely disarmed and no longer posed a threat to Israel.
Netanyahu described Hezbollah as the most important link in an axis of Iranian allies. According to him, around eight percent of the former 150,000 rockets and projectiles remain. Israel also killed around 9,000 “terrorists” in Lebanon. The most important measure was to create buffer and security zones between Hezbollah and northern Israel.
The Lebanese government and Hezbollah describe the “security zone” unilaterally decreed by Israel as an occupation that violates international law. According to geographical calculations by the Lebanese media, the area controlled by Israel in southern Lebanon covers around 620 square kilometers. This corresponds to around six percent of the country’s area. (sda/dpa)