Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz has declared that Israeli troops will remain indefinitely in “security zones” in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Syria, marking a major policy shift in the country’s military approach to border security.
Katz emphasized that unlike previous instances, the Israeli military is not retreating from areas that have been cleared and taken, stating that troops will remain in the security zones acting as a buffer between adversaries and Israeli communities “regardless of whether the situation in Gaza is temporary or permanent” – similar to the approach in Lebanon and Syria.
The defense minister’s announcement comes after Israel unilaterally expanded its frontiers in the war unleashed by Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack, and the military strengthens its control over various occupied regions. Israel says it must maintain control of what it refers to as security zones to prevent a repeat of the devastating October 7 attack.
In Gaza, the military has designated 30 percent of the territory as a “security” buffer zone and has targeted approximately 1,200 “terror sites” since reigniting its operations on March 18, following a ceasefire lasting nearly two months with Hamas. In a statement on Wednesday, Katz underscored that Israel’s stance is “clear,” declaring that “no humanitarian aid will be permitted into Gaza,” explaining that restricting humanitarian assistance is “one of the primary pressure tactics to prevent Hamas from exploiting this resource against the population.”
In Lebanon, Israeli troops have remained in at least five strategic locations along the border even though the November ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah called for both sides to withdraw from southern Lebanon. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stated that Israel’s ongoing presence in certain southern Lebanon regions is “impeding” the complete deployment of the Lebanese army as stipulated by the ceasefire agreement.
In Syria, Israel has established multiple military outposts within Syrian territory, including on Mount Hermon, following extensive airstrikes after the ousting of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The Israeli government has expressed its stance towards the opposition group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), labeling it “a terror organization from Idlib that seized Damascus by force,” and has thus far refused to withdraw from the territories it has occupied.
Despite the announcement of a ceasefire between the US and Iran, which supposedly includes ending the fighting against Hezbollah, Katz said Israel will not withdraw from southern Lebanon, stating that “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I are leading a clear policy that determines that the IDF will remain in the security zones in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza, without any time limit, to protect, from there, the border and Israeli communities against jihadist elements.”
For over six weeks, Israeli authorities have barred all aid from entering Gaza, exacerbating the already dire humanitarian crisis in the region, with Israeli airstrikes persisting and resulting in at least 25 fatalities across Gaza.
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