Israel always knew southern Lebanon Shia villages ‘had to disappear’, minister says
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Ayse Betul
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Tue, 06/30/2026 - 15:08
Israel’s Operation Silver Plow has served as a cover for the systematic destruction and depopulation of residential border villages
Destruction seen after Israeli military strikes on a neighbourhood in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre, 23 June 2026 (Joseph Eid/AFP)
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The destruction of villages in southern Lebanon was inevitable from the beginning of Israel’s invasion, an Israeli minister openly admitted on Monday.
Defence Minister Israel Katz said during a briefing with military correspondents that “it was clear during Operation Silver Plow that the Shia villages along the contact line had to disappear”.
He hinted that the Israeli military sought the total destruction of border towns along the "Yellow Line", the buffer zone south of the Litani River.
Deepening this zone ultimately aims at the demilitarisation of Hezbollah and the Israeli army, Katz said, adding that the army “will not retreat an inch” before this happens.
"We are currently in a situation where there is nearly 100 percent destruction in the contact-line villages of the western and central sectors. In the eastern sector, we are at 73 percent of villages destroyed," he said.
"Seizing territory and dismantling all infrastructure within it is the heaviest blow possible for jihadist organisations."
Israeli forces have driven hundreds of thousands of Lebanese civilians from the south, most of them from the Shia population.
Katz said none of them would return to the Yellow Line area, which “must remain free of population”.
This is not the first time Israeli officials said their objective in southern Lebanon extended beyond toppling Hezbollah.
Systematic destruction
Israel launched “Operation Silver Plow” in April, saying its aim was to clear Lebanese villages along the border of Hezbollah troops.
Since then, the operation has seen the targeting of residential areas and buildings, with forces ordering demolitions using heavy equipment alongside continuous air strikes across the area.
According to a May report by the Israeli outlet Haaretz, since the start of the operation Israeli military commanders admitted that homes, schools and government buildings near the Lebanese border were being demolished to “clear the area”.
Some other unnamed Israeli soldiers have told Haaretz that the army is not limited to targeting “terrorist infrastructure” as Israeli authorities claim, instead they “destroy everything”.
“At the end of every day, there's an assessment of what was accomplished, and every commander is required to report how many homes he destroyed,” one of them added.
The New York Times corroborated the systematic destruction by analysing satellite imagery.
Vicious cycle
While Israeli military incursions across Syria, Gaza and Lebanon have dominated the weeks-long negotiations between Tehran and Washington, talks on the Lebanese front have become an endless cycle.
The morning after the Lebanon 'agreement'
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Iran repeatedly reiterated that Lebanon was an inseparable part of any agreement with the US to end the war. Similarly, the Islamabad-drafted Memorandum of Understanding called for an end to hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon.
While the Trump administration has openly stated that it ordered Israel to withdraw its troops from Lebanese territory, Israel insisted that it will not do so until Hezbollah disarms.
Hezbollah refuses to disarm until Israel leaves Lebanon, adding that any attempt to link Israel’s withdrawal to demanding the group’s disarmament would cross its “red lines”.
Meanwhile, this entire vicious cycle is ultimately buying Israel additional time, allowing it to delay a military withdrawal and keep targeting civilians to depopulate the area.
In his latest briefing, Katz stated that Israel plans to maintain a "long-term" presence in Lebanon, adding, "The equation stands - rocket fire on Israeli communities (by Iran) means an immediate assault on the Dahieh.”
More than 4,200 Lebanese have been killed by Israel since 2 March, according to Lebanon's health ministry.
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