Netanyahu orders a full strike against Hezbollah and says Israel will not leave southern Lebanon

During a visit to Israeli troops stationed in southern Lebanon, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday ordered the military to completely destroy what he described as Hezbollah’s military infrastructure.

Details of his statement were published by the prime minister’s office via the social media platform X.

Addressing the soldiers, Netanyahu issued a clear directive: “This is the new order, leave nothing standing and carry it out.”

He explained that military action should target every structure used by Hezbollah, both above ground and underground, with particular emphasis on the tunnel network that, according to Israel, is used for attacks on the country’s north.

The Israeli prime minister told the forces to respond immediately as soon as a threat is identified, without waiting for further instructions. He also said that Israel would not withdraw its troops from the areas it controls in southern Lebanon until Hezbollah has been fully disarmed and, in his view, the danger has disappeared.

Netanyahu described Hezbollah as the most important element of what Israel calls the “axis of resistance,” meaning the alliance of Iran-backed groups in the region. He claimed that of the roughly 150,000 rockets the movement had at its disposal, only 8% remain, while adding that about 9,000 Hezbollah fighters have been killed during operations in Lebanon.

On the other side, both Hezbollah and the Lebanese government view the presence of Israeli forces in the south of the country as an occupation and oppose the establishment of a “security zone” by Israel, describing it as a violation of international law.

Lebanese media report that the area currently controlled by Israel in southern Lebanon is estimated at around 620 square kilometers, or approximately 6% of the country’s territory. Meanwhile, tensions remain high and the international community continues to call for de-escalation and for avoiding any further escalation of the conflict.