Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has ordered the expansion of Israel’s security buffer zone in southern Lebanon with the aim of repelling Lebanese cross-border attacks.

“In Lebanon, I have now instructed to further expand the existing security belt, in order to finally thwart the threat of invasion and to keep the anti-tank missile fire away from our border,” he said in a video statement from the Israeli military’s Northern Command.

In recent weeks, Israel has pushed further into southern Lebanon. Israeli forces are occupying the land south of the Litani River, an area it has called on Lebanese residents to evacuate.

The Israeli military has blown up several bridges over the river – which bisects Lebanon – over the past days, as part of a broader assault in the south.

On Friday, human rights workers warned Israeli forces’ demolition of crossings through the river will cut off tens of thousands of residents in southern Lebanon from “essential lifelines,” as the rate of killings, destruction and displacement across the country spiraled.

Also during the video statement, Netanyahu said Israel is striking at Iran and its proxies “with tremendous force.”

“We are bringing about tremendous achievements, achievements that are creating visible cracks in the terrorist regime in Tehran,” he said.

Source: CNN

-- Agencies