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.