Defense Minister Katz at Beaufort Ridge: “Under No Circumstances Will We Withdraw From the Security Zones”

Katz (Photo: Elad Malka, Defense Ministry)

Defense Minister Israel Katz said today (Wednesday), during a visit to Lebanon, that Israel is preparing to maintain an extended military presence in the security zones in Lebanon, Syria, and the Gaza Strip. According to Katz, the IDF has already been instructed to make the necessary preparations for a long-term stay in the area.

Katz arrived in the frontline villages, where he was shown the homes and terrorist infrastructure that had been destroyed in the area. During the visit, commanders briefed him on the forces' activity and the situation on the ground. A discussion was also held regarding the operational preparations needed for the expected future campaign against Hezbollah.

Katz addressed the takeover of the Beaufort area: “We see here the Beaufort Ridge after the tunnels there were destroyed. The IDF maneuvered here across the Litani River in an operation carried out with heroism and tremendous skill, defeated Hezbollah, and took Beaufort, which protects Metula, the northern communities, and IDF soldiers, while threatening all of Hezbollah’s areas in view.”

The defense minister said that, from the political leadership’s perspective, the military presence in the security zones is not temporary: “As the prime minister and I have made unequivocally clear—we are not withdrawing from this security zone. I am standing here at the heart of the security zone, from the seashore in the west to the Beaufort area and the approaches to Mount Hermon in the east. The IDF is here to protect the northern communities and its forces. We will clear this area and ensure the security of northern residents—and under no circumstances will we withdraw from the security zones: not in Lebanon, not in Syria, and not in Gaza.”

According to him, “The lesson of October 7 is that we protect residents by having the IDF here, in these places, protecting them from raids, gunfire, and everything else—this is our policy, this is our approach.”

Katz continued: “The Beaufort fortress illustrates better than anything the meaning of this policy: We are up high, they are down below; the residents are protected; the IDF is inside; 200,000 residents are outside. We are destroying the underground network and all the terrorist infrastructure they built with Iranian backing in order to invade the Galilee, and we are destroying all the homes in the area.”

At the end of his remarks, the defense minister reiterated his intention to continue this policy: “This is our policy, we will continue it, and under no circumstances will we allow jihadist enemies of this kind to threaten our residents or our borders. We are up high, they are down below, the residents are outside, the soldiers are inside, and the homes are destroyed.”