Defense Minister Israel Katz on Friday morning warned that the IDF will maintain its positions in southern Lebanon during the current ceasefire period.
In his statement, Katz also emphasized that the campaign’s objectives have not yet been fully achieved.
"We are inside Lebanon in the midst of a war against Hezbollah, with a temporary freeze and a ten-day ceasefire," he said. "The IDF is holding and will continue to hold all areas it has cleared and captured."
Katz noted that the ground maneuver into Lebanon and strikes against Hezbollah across the country have achieved significant results, but not all objectives have been completed.
"More than 1,700 terrorists have been eliminated, more than double the number in the Second Lebanon War, and a security zone enforced by the IDF has been established extending up to 10 kilometers from the border and to the antitank line, and spreads from the Mediterranean coast in the west to the Mount Hermon area in the east, in order to protect against threats of infiltration and defend against direct fire towards the communities," he added.
"The security zone has been cleared of terrorists and weapons and is devoid of residents, and it will continue to be cleared of terror infrastructure, including the destruction of homes in frontline Lebanese villages which have become terror positions in every sense of the word."
At the same time, Katz acknowledged that the area between the security zone and the Litani River, currently under Israeli fire control, has not yet been cleared of terrorists and weapons. Katz stressed that this would need to be addressed either through diplomatic means or continued military operations following the end of the ceasefire.
Regarding the return of Lebanese residents to areas south of the Litani River, he said, "If fighting resumes, any residents who return to the security zone will be required to evacuate to allow completion of the mission."
Katz also said that strikes on Hezbollah launch areas and strongholds north of the Litani and throughout Lebanon, which the IDF began to carry out and planned to continue carrying out with great force, were halted before reaching their objectives and would need to resume.
"The goal we defined - disarming Hezbollah through military or diplomatic means - was and remains the objective of this campaign, and we are committed to that," Katz said, noting that "significant diplomatic leverage has now been created through direct involvement by US President [Donald Trump] and commitment to this goal, while pressuring the Lebanese government."
"I support the residents of the north, and salute them for their resilience. We promised security for residents of the north, and that is what we will deliver."