British News Agency

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz claimed that operations carried out in Lebanon had provided unprecedented security for residents of communities in northern Israel.

Katz stated that Israel had established a 700-square-kilometer security zone on Lebanese territory, stretching from the Mediterranean coast in the west to Beaufort Castle, the Ali Taher ridge and the foothills of Mount Hermon in the east. He said the zone was intended to prevent raids and direct-fire attacks against northern communities.

Katz claimed that approximately 200,000 members of the Shiite population had been evacuated behind the line known as the Yellow Line. He said the Israeli military had targeted what he described as terrorist infrastructure above and below ground in the area and destroyed large tunnels that he alleged posed a threat of a potential attack on the Galilee region.

Katz also stated that more than 60 villages in Lebanon and 23,000 homes, which he claimed had been used as Hezbollah outposts, had been demolished as part of Operation Silver Plow.