Israel will seize more Lebanese territory if Hezbollah joins Iranian attacks, DM warns

Israel threatens to seize more of Lebanon and displace over one million Shiites if Hezbollah joins future Iranian attacks on Israel.

By World Israel News Staff

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Wednesday that Israel would seize additional territory in southern Lebanon and displace more than one million Shiite residents if Hezbollah joins Iran in launching a new attack against the Jewish state.

Speaking during a visit to Israeli military positions in southern Lebanon, Katz outlined plans for a major ground offensive that would expand Israel’s permanent security zone to include areas surrounding Nabatieh and the Litani River.

“If Hezbollah joins Iran in attacking Israel, it will face a severe blow and lose more territory in southern Lebanon,” Katz declared.

The defense minister said the IDF was prepared to launch another ground maneuver and would incorporate any newly captured territory into Israel’s existing security zone.

He also warned that Israeli military operations would force large numbers of Lebanese civilians to evacuate northward, including residents of areas extending toward the Awali and Zahrani rivers.

According to Katz, the evacuations would allow the IDF to conduct extensive strikes against Hezbollah’s military infrastructure while pushing the threat posed by the terrorist organization’s drones farther away from Israeli border communities.

The operation would also include evacuating Beirut’s southern Dahiyeh district, a Hezbollah stronghold, ahead of major attacks on terrorist infrastructure there.

“More than one million Shiites will become displaced in Lebanon,” Katz warned.

Katz delivered the remarks while touring the first line of villages in southern Lebanon alongside Northern Command chief Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo, 91st Division commander Brig. Gen. Yuval Gaz and other senior officers.

During the visit, commanders briefed him on Operation Silver Plow, an ongoing Israeli military effort to demolish Hezbollah infrastructure in territory held by the IDF.

Katz praised the soldiers participating in the operation and reiterated that Israel has no intention of relinquishing its existing security positions in Lebanon or Syria.

“As the prime minister and I have made clear, we will not withdraw from the security zones,” he said.

The defense minister also issued a personal warning to Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem, accusing his predecessor, Hassan Nasrallah, of bringing devastation upon Lebanon’s Shiite community.

Katz warned that Qassem could bring about the community’s complete destruction and ultimately suffer the same fate as Nasrallah, who was eliminated in an Israeli airstrike in September 2024.

The latest threats come amid renewed speculation about a possible confrontation between Israel, the US and Iran, with Israeli officials warning that Tehran and its regional proxies could launch attacks ahead of Israel’s October 27 parliamentary elections.

On Tuesday, Katz said Israeli intelligence had identified attempts by Iran and its proxies to carry out attacks intended to influence the election results.

Hezbollah entered the regional war in March 2026 by launching attacks against Israel following the start of US and Israeli military operations against Iran.

The resulting Israeli offensive killed more than 4,300 people in Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry, whose figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, and forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes.

A US-brokered ceasefire reached in June was intended to pave the way for Hezbollah’s disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

However, the implementation of that arrangement has stalled.

Israeli troops continue to control an extensive security zone encompassing dozens of Lebanese villages, while efforts to establish additional areas under a US-backed withdrawal and disarmament framework have made little progress.

The US State Department has maintained that a phased withdrawal tied to Hezbollah’s disarmament remains the only viable means of achieving lasting security for both countries.