Israel will expand its buffer zone in Lebanon to “finally thwart the threat of invasion and to push the anti-tank missile fire away from our border,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday.
Israel had undergone a paradigm shift in its latest wars against nearby countries, he said.
“I said we would change the face of the Middle East, and we have done so,” he added. “But we have also changed our security concept. We initiate, we attack, and we have created three security zones deep within enemy territory.”
Netanyahu cited the buffer zones in Lebanon, Gaza, and Syria.
“Instead of them surprising us, we are surprising them,” he said. “We are the ones taking action, we are the ones attacking, we are the ones taking the initiative, and we are deep within their territory.”
Prime Minister acknowledges difficulties for northern residents
Netanyahu addressed residents of the North, acknowledging the difficulties they have faced during the war against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“I have instructed government ministries to assist you very generously,” he said. “I ask of you, as I ask of all of you, citizens of Israel: continued patience, continued steadfastness.”
Netanyahu expressed condolences for the soldiers who have died during the war to their families. He thanked the troops and reservists both in his own name and in the name of the entire nation.
“We are determined, we are fighting, and with God’s help, we are winning,” he said.
Earlier on Sunday, Sgt. Moshe Yitzhak Hacohen Katz was killed in battle while fighting in Lebanon, the IDF reported.
Katz, 22, was born in New Haven, Connecticut. He was killed during an attack in which three other soldiers were moderately wounded.
“My oldest son with a zest for life and jokes,” Mendy Katz, Moshe’s father, wrote on Facebook. “My heart is shattered, and the wound is real. May he be a malitz yosher [advocate] for only good things.”
Netanyahu wrote on X/Twitter: “Moshe immigrated to Israel from the United States, enlisted in the Paratroopers Brigade, and fought bravely in defense of the homeland.
“On behalf of all citizens of Israel, we embrace Moshe’s family in their difficult hour and wish a swift and full recovery to our fighters who were wounded in the same incident.”
Five soldiers have been killed fighting in Lebanon since the beginning of Operation Roaring Lion on February 28.
Tobias Holcman and Shir Perets contributed to this report.