Defense Minister Yisrael Katz participated this morning (Tuesday) in the defense export conference with the management of the Ministry of Defense and the heads of the defense industries in Israel, and thanked them for their ongoing work and many achievements for the strengthening of the State of Israel.
In his speech he said:
""Israel's policy in Lebanon is clear: The IDF maneuvered and occupied territory up to the anti-tank line - the yellow line - in order to remove threats of raids and direct fire on Israeli settlements, based on the fundamental principle that residents do not leave the north.".
Later, IDF forces maneuvered and expanded the area to the Beaufort Fortress, which became a commanding position and part of the security zone, with a total area of approximately 600 square kilometers. For comparison, the entire area of Gaza is 365 square kilometers.
The role of the security zone is to protect Israeli communities and IDF forces. There are no residents in this area, and the IDF is working to thwart terrorists, weapons, and terrorist infrastructures above and below the ground, including the houses in all the Lebanese border villages that served as terrorist outposts for all intents and purposes - and their demolition as part of Operation "Silver Plow" will soon be completed.
The IDF is airstrikes on Hezbollah launch targets south and north of the Litani River and is working to thwart Hezbollah targets and any threat throughout Lebanon, and is considering additional maneuvers as needed.
Following the US request, the IDF refrained from powerful attacks in Beirut until yesterday, with the exception of targeted assassinations, due to US negotiations for an agreement with Iran.
Yesterday, the Prime Minister and I led a move together with the IDF whose goal was to create an equation that says that the law of Dahiyya in Beirut is the same as the laws of the northern communities in Israel, and if Israeli communities continue to be attacked - we will attack the Shiite Dahiyya neighborhood in Beirut, which is a Hezbollah stronghold. There will no longer be a state of calm in Beirut and Israeli communities are under attack.
As part of this, the Prime Minister and I issued statements clarifying the principle and the condition - and the IDF spokesman also issued an evacuation notice to residents of Hadahiya in preparation for an attack if the firing on Israeli settlements continues.
The immediate result was the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of residents from the neighborhood - 600,000 out of 950,000 as of yesterday evening, and the creation of heavy pressure on Hezbollah and the Lebanese government.
This principle was also made clear to the American administration even before the move was made - that we will not accept firing on Israeli communities and will act accordingly, and this was also the case in Prime Minister Netanyahu's conversation yesterday with the US President.
The Americans adopted the principle and informed the Lebanese government and all relevant parties about it: the Israeli settlements - opposite Beirut.
There is no ceasefire inside Lebanon and the IDF continues its activities against Hezbollah, with the long-term ultimate goal being the disarmament of Hezbollah, and the immediate goal, related to the purpose of the operation in Lebanon, being the demilitarization of the entire Litani area - beyond the Yellow Line, which the IDF currently controls, and the Litani area from Hezbollah weapons and terrorists - under Israeli security control.
The test for the policy of protecting the settlements will be simple and will become clear in the coming days: if the shooting at the settlements stops, or if there is shooting at the settlements and we attack Dahiyeh in Beirut - this equation will come true.
From our perspective, there will be no situation where our communities are being shot at without responding forcefully to the Dahiyya neighborhood in Beirut - while evacuating its residents - as we have done in the past.
Those who bring about all these great achievements are the IDF commanders and its heroic soldiers, both regular and reserve, who fight with courage and great commitment for the security of the residents of the north, and of course the residents of the north who demonstrate heroism and the ability to withstand difficult circumstances to enable the IDF to complete its missions for their protection.
The IDF protects the residents of the north and pays a heavy price. Soldiers are killed and injured in the course of their mission, and the pain is great. I hug the bereaved families and wish a speedy recovery to the wounded.
We are challenged by the fiber drones that are below the threshold of technological thwarting and exact a heavy price, and are working, both at the strategic and tactical levels, with all means to provide answers to the issue.
"Israel is determined not to return to the reality of before October 7th within the framework of the new security policy - the IDF is present and stands between jihadist enemies and the borders and settlements in Lebanon, Syria, Gaza and wherever necessary, and acts proactively to remove threats in Iran, Yemen and everywhere.".
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