View source for Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon (2024–present)

{{short description|'''Israel's military occupation of a "security zone" in southern Lebanon after the 2024 and 2026 wars with Hezbollah'''}}
{{Infobox event
| name       = Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon (2024–present)
| image      = 
| type       = Military occupation
| start_date = {{Start date|2024|10}}
| location   = Southern Lebanon, from the coast to the slopes of Mount Hermon
| participants = [[Israel Defense Forces]]; [[Hezbollah]]; Lebanese Armed Forces
| cause      = Israel–Hezbollah wars of 2023–24 and 2026
| other      = Israel's defence minister put the zone at 700 km² in October 2026<ref name="Annahar20Oct2026">Annahar, [https://en.annahar.com/en/358756/katz-no-withdrawal-from-southern-lebanon-until-hezbollah-is-disarmed-the-southern-suburbs-are-under-threat Katz says Israel will hold Lebanese security zone until Hezbollah is disarmed] ''Annahar'', 20 October 2026, accessed 22 October 2026.</ref>
}}
The '''Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon (2024–present)''' is the presence of the [[Israel Defense Forces]] (IDF) in a "security zone" inside Lebanon, first held after the 2024 ground invasion and greatly enlarged after fighting with [[Hezbollah]] resumed in March 2026. According to the US Congressional Research Service (CRS), "Israel" had occupied about 5% of Lebanon's territory by September 2026.<ref name="CRS2026">Christopher M. Blanchard, Jeremy M. Sharp, Clayton Thomas and Jim Zanotti, [https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/R48887.html U.S. Conflict with Iran] ''Congressional Research Service'', R48887, updated 18 September 2026, accessed 22 October 2026 (US Congress-side).</ref> Israeli ministers have given shifting accounts of its purpose and duration, and some have called for annexation and settlement.

== 2024 invasion and the five points ==
"Israel" invaded southern Lebanon in late 2024. Under the ceasefire of 27 November 2024 it was to withdraw within 60 days, while Hezbollah left the area south of the [[Litani River]].<ref name="BBC2024">Ido Vock, [https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0mze4pzdnlo Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire comes into effect] ''BBC News'', 27 November 2024, accessed 22 October 2026.</ref> ''Al Jazeera'' reported in September 2025 that "Israel" still occupied at least five points in the south and was "destroying villages in the area".<ref name="AJ2025EZ">Justin Salhani, [https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/9/1/will-us-backed-economic-zone-incentivise-lebanon-to-disarm-hezbollah Will a US-backed economic zone incentivise Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah?] ''Al Jazeera'', 1 September 2025, accessed 22 October 2026.</ref>

== 2026: "up to the Litani" ==
After Hezbollah resumed fire on 2 March 2026, Defence Minister [[Yisrael Katz|Israel Katz]] said on 24 March that "Israel" would occupy southern Lebanon up to the Litani. ''Reuters'' wrote that this spelled out "for the first time Israel's intent to seize territory amounting to nearly a tenth of the country".<ref name="Reuters24Mar2026">Alexander Cornwell and Nazih Osseiran, [https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israels-military-occupy-swathe-southern-lebanon-defence-chief-says-2026-03-24/ Israel's military to occupy swathe of southern Lebanon, defence minister says] ''Reuters'', 24 March 2026, accessed 22 October 2026.</ref> On 31 March Katz said: "At the end of the operation, the IDF would control the area up to the Litani River, including the remaining Litani bridges".<ref name="Reuters31Mar2026">Reuters, [https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-establish-buffer-zone-south-lebanon-up-litani-river-defence-minister-says-2026-03-31/ Israel to establish buffer zone in south Lebanon up to Litani River, defence minister says] ''Reuters'', 31 March 2026, accessed 22 October 2026.</ref> The day before Katz's first statement, the finance minister, [[Bezalel Smotrich]], said that "the new Israeli border must be the Litani".<ref name="ReutersSmotrich2026">Tamar Uriel-Beeri and Maya Gebeily, [https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-minister-calls-annexation-southern-lebanon-2026-03-23/ Israeli minister calls for annexation of southern Lebanon] ''Reuters'', 23 March 2026, accessed 22 October 2026.</ref>

== The Yellow Line and demolitions ==
A US-brokered framework agreement signed on 26 June 2026 provided for phased Israeli withdrawal through "pilot zones" handed to the Lebanese army.<ref name="MadaMasr2026">Lana Harb, [https://www.madamasr.com/en/2026/10/19/feature/politics/lebanons-pilot-zone-experiment-the-case-of-zawtar-al-gharbiyah/ Lebanon's 'pilot zone' experiment: The case of Zawtar al-Gharbiyah] ''Mada Masr'', 19 October 2026, accessed 22 October 2026.</ref> ''Al Jazeera'' reported in October 2026 that "Israel" still held a zone up to 10 km deep, marked by a "Yellow Line", behind which it "continues to detonate homes"; about 50 frontline villages, including Khiam and Bint Jbeil, had been destroyed. The analyst Mohamad Bazzi told the channel that Israel's goal was to "empty, depopulate, and make those dozens of frontline villages and towns uninhabitable".<ref name="AJYellowLine">Justin Salhani, [https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/14/how-israels-yellow-line-is-reshaping-southern-lebanon How Israel's 'Yellow Line' is reshaping southern Lebanon] ''Al Jazeera'', 14 October 2026, accessed 22 October 2026.</ref>

On 20 October 2026 Katz wrote that "Israel has established a security zone inside Lebanese territory covering 700 square kilometers, from the western coast to Shaqif Castle and the southern slopes of Mount Hermon". He said about 200,000 Shia residents had been evacuated, that more than 60 villages including 23,000 homes had been demolished, and that the area "is now free of residents, armed infrastructure, and houses". He said the army would not withdraw until Hezbollah was disarmed, and that it was ready to take more of Nabatieh and the Litani basin, evacuate it and permanently annex it to the security zone, according to Annahar.<ref name="Annahar20Oct2026" />

== Stated aims and settlement advocacy ==
The official Israeli justification is security: Katz said the zone was "aimed at preventing infiltrations and direct fire on northern settlements".<ref name="Annahar20Oct2026" /> ''L'Orient Today'' noted in May 2026 that "Israeli authorities officially claim not to have expansionist aims in southern Lebanon".<ref name="LOrient15May2026">L'Orient Today, [https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1506969/ben-gvir-discusses-israels-settlement-plan-for-south-lebanon.html Ben Gvir discusses Israel's 'settlement plan' for south Lebanon] ''L'Orient Today'', 15 May 2026, accessed 22 October 2026.</ref> Yet the national security minister, [[Itamar Ben-Gvir]], said on 14 May 2026 that Israel had a "settlement plan for Lebanon".<ref name="LOrient15May2026" /> Settler groups, including [[Uri Tzafon]] and [[Nachala]], campaign openly to settle the zone. The Uri Tzafon co-founder [[Anna Sloutskin]] told AFP: "The IDF goes in, conquers, and clears. And afterwards we must not withdraw, but settle."<ref name="AlMonitor2026">Alice Chancellor, [https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/05/promised-us-israelis-dreaming-settling-south-lebanon 'Promised to us': The Israelis dreaming of settling south Lebanon] ''Al-Monitor'' (AFP), 13 May 2026, accessed 22 October 2026.</ref>

== Land and property ==
Lebanese officials fear that displaced owners will be pressed to sell. In September 2026 the Lebanese cabinet approved a draft law banning property sales in occupied areas (see [[Lebanese draft law banning property sales in occupied areas (2026)]]). Riad Al-Asaad of the South Reconstruction Company accused Israeli forces of bulldozing land-registry offices and taking property records.<ref name="ArabNews30Sep2026">Najia Houssari, [https://www.arabnews.com/middle-east/who-will-protect-occupied-southern-lebanon-from-controversial-land-sales-3003913 Who will protect occupied southern Lebanon from controversial land sales?] ''Arab News'', 30 September 2026, accessed 22 October 2026.</ref>

== See also ==
* [[South Lebanon Army]] (the 1985–2000 occupation)
* [[Litani River]]
* [[Trump economic zone (southern Lebanon)]]
* [[Greater Israel]]
* [[Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to Lebanon]]

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Lebanon]]
[[Category:Israel]]
[[Category:Occupied territories]]