Israel’s Defense Minister Yisrael Katz announced Tuesday that Israeli forces intend to occupy southern Lebanon up to the Litani River, spelling out for the first time the country’s stated goal of seizing territory amounting to nearly a tenth of Lebanon as a permanent “defensive buffer.”

Speaking at a meeting with the military chief of staff, Katz said Israeli forces would “control the remaining bridges and the security zone up to the Litani”, a river that meets the Mediterranean approximately 30 kilometers north of Israel’s border. He described the effort as establishing a “forward defensive line,” with buildings near the border being cleared and demolished to “push the threat away from communities.” He drew an explicit comparison to Israel’s approach in Gaza.

The announcement drew immediate pushback from Hezbollah. The Iranian-backed terrorist group called a potential Israeli occupation south of the Litani an “existential threat” to the Lebanese state, and senior lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah vowed resistance. “We have no choice but to confront this aggression and cling to the land,” he told Reuters.

A day earlier, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich went beyond Katz, calling outright for Israel to annex southern Lebanon up to the river. “The new Israeli border must be the Litani,” Smotrich said on Israeli radio Monday, adding that the military campaign “needs to end with a different reality entirely.”

Israel last occupied southern Lebanon from 1982 until its withdrawal in 2000.

Israel has destroyed five bridges over the Litani since March 13 and accelerated the demolition of homes in Lebanese villages near the border, which it characterizes as part of a campaign against Hezbollah infrastructure. Under international law, attacks on civilian infrastructure are generally prohibited.

Lebanon on Tuesday declared Iran’s ambassador persona non grata, giving him until Sunday to leave the country, a move Beirut said did not constitute a severing of diplomatic ties with Tehran. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar praised the decision.

Lebanon’s president said Tuesday the war could have been avoided had Israel withdrawn from occupied areas in the south and honored the 2024 ceasefire deal. U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that Washington and Tehran may be nearing an agreement to end the broader conflict, though Iran has denied any negotiations with the U.S. are taking place. Whether a Lebanon ceasefire would be part of any such deal remains unclear.

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