Demolitions are taking place in villages near the border with Israel, The Jerusalem Post reports, citing military sources. According to the sources, these are buildings used by Hezbollah. This follows Katz's recent statement that all houses in the area should be demolished "just like in Rafah (in Gaza)".
The Lebanon-based, Iran-allied Shiite militia attacked Israel on March 2, in retaliation for Israeli and US attacks on Iran, drawing Lebanon into the conflict.
Shelling of Israel
Since then, fighting and shelling have taken place almost daily. Early Thursday, Hezbollah announced that it had fired drones and rockets into northern Israel and attacked Israeli soldiers in the border area.
Around 80 rockets were fired, according to the Israeli military, some of which hit an empty kindergarten in the city of Nahariya. No one was reported injured.
The extensive shelling at the start of the Jewish Passover holiday, Pesach, prompted Katz to threaten Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem with the risk of "paying a very high price."
"You will not experience it, because you will be deep down at the bottom of hell," Katz said in a video statement, according to the AP news agency.
1,300 dead
In recent weeks, Israel has ordered more than a million people to leave their homes, mainly in southern Lebanon, and has repeatedly bombed Beirut's southern suburbs, which are considered a Hezbollah stronghold.
More than 1,300 people have been killed and over 3,900 injured in Israeli attacks, according to authorities.
On Tuesday, Israel Katz said that Israeli forces would continue to “maintain a security zone” on Lebanese soil even after the current war. He also said that the more than 600,000 Lebanese who have been evacuated from their homes in southern Lebanon will not be allowed to return until the safety of residents of northern Israel is guaranteed.
