Israeli minister in charge of military affairs says the regime’s forces will remain in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, and Syria indefinitely.
“Unlike in the past, the (Israeli military) is not evacuating areas that have been cleared and seized,” Israel Katz said in a statement on Wednesday, according to The Associated Press.
He added that Israeli forces will remain in those occupied territories as a “buffer” to protect Israeli settlements “in any temporary or permanent situation in Gaza — as in Lebanon and Syria.”
In recent weeks, Israeli forces have occupied significant portions of Gaza under the pretext of pressuring Hamas to release the Israeli prisoners – a move that follows the Tel Aviv regime’s unilateral decision to end a ceasefire and a prisoner swap deal.
Despite a previous truce with Hezbollah, Israel also continues to maintain its military presence in parts of Lebanon, defying de-escalation efforts. Similarly, it has seized areas in southern Syria following the fall of President Bashar al-Assad.
Israeli authorities claim these occupations are necessary to prevent a recurrence of the October 7, 2023, retaliatory operation by Gaza’s resistance fighters.
Since that time, the Israeli regime’s devastating war on Gaza has killed at least 51,000 Palestinians and injured 116,343. At least 1,630 Palestinians have been killed and 4,302 wounded since Israel broke the ceasefire on March 18.
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