Israel’s defence minister says there would be “no calm in Beirut” if Hezbollah attacks continue and vows to establish a military-controlled zone in the area of south Lebanon’s Litani River, AFP reports.

“The Dahiyeh in Beirut is no different from the communities in northern Israel — if there is no calm in the north, there will be no calm in Beirut,” Israel Katz said in a statement released by his office.

“At the same time, the IDF continues to operate with fire and manoeuvre against Hezbollah terrorists and infrastructure in Lebanon… in order to push threats away from IDF forces and from the residents of the State of Israel, and to turn the Litani area into a zone under IDF security control, free of weapons and terrorists,” Katz added.