IDF official says disarming Hezbollah unrealistic, not a goal of Lebanon operation

Key Points:

• The Israeli military plans to propose establishing a “security zone” in southern Lebanon, involving demolishing border villages and setting up army posts several kilometers inside Lebanese territory, with approval pending from political leadership.
• While the IDF aims to weaken Hezbollah and reduce threats to northern Israel, fully disarming the group is deemed unrealistic and not a required goal of the current campaign, as it would necessitate conquering all of Lebanon, which is not planned.
• The buffer zone plan includes clearing villages near the border (except some Christian communities) and establishing forward army positions, with civilians barred from returning south of the Litani River until the Hezbollah threat is removed.
• The IDF continues air and ground operations against Hezbollah, recently killing 15 operatives in southern Lebanon and targeting cells preparing to fire missiles, while five divisions operate in the region amid ongoing rocket fire mostly directed at Israeli forces.
• Since hostilities escalated, the IDF reports killing around 1,000 Hezbollah operatives and striking over 3,500 Hezbollah targets, including command centers and weapon depots, despite suffering casualties including 10 soldiers and several civilians.