Defence Minister Israel Katz has said Israel’s military would occupy a swathe of southern Lebanon even after the end of the current war, according to AFP.

“At the end of the operation, the IDF will establish itself in a security zone inside Lebanon, on a defensive line against anti-tank missiles, and will maintain security control over the entire area up to the Litani,” Katz said in a video statement published by his ministry, referring to a river around 30km from the border.

Katz said hundreds of thousands of displaced Lebanese residents would be “completely prevented” from returning until north Israel’s security was ensured.

He added that: “All the houses in the villages adjacent to the border in Lebanon will be demolished in accordance with the Rafah and Beit Hanoun model in Gaza.”