Israel orders total destruction of Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the army to eliminate all above‑ground and underground infrastructure used by the Iran‑backed Shiite militia Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. He ordered troops to leave nothing behind and said Israel would not withdraw from the border area until Hezbollah is fully disarmed.

Netanyahu claimed that about 9,000 "terrorists" have been killed in Lebanon and that roughly eight percent of the militia’s original stock of 150,000 rockets and launchers remain. He described Hezbollah as the main link in Iran’s regional alliance and highlighted the creation of a security zone between Hezbollah and northern Israel. Lebanese authorities and Hezbollah denounced the Israeli security zone as an occupation that breaches international law, noting that the area Israel controls in southern Lebanon covers roughly 620 sq km, about six percent of Lebanon’s territory.