Israel Openly Declares Intent to Annex Three Countries, Issues Stern Warning to Iran
The Israeli government has officially announced its latest military decision, confirming it will permanently maintain combat troops in occupied territories across Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria. This indefinite occupation policy is claimed to be a crucial step necessary to defend the country’s external borders.
Defence Minister Israel Katz stated there would be no military withdrawal from southern Lebanon before the Hezbollah militia group is completely disarmed. “Our policy to defend the borders of the State of Israel … is clear,” Katz asserted. “The IDF will not withdraw and will remain in the security zone in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza for an unlimited period.”
Katz also issued a new threat to the Iranian government, stating that Tehran would be struck by a military attack from the Jewish State if it takes any manoeuvre contrary to Israel’s intentions. “We will carry out an attack with full force if (Iran) dares to take military retaliatory action,” he said. This stark warning echoes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent vow that Israel’s ambition to achieve total victory over Iran and its allied groups will never end.
Meanwhile, Iran has inserted a crucial point into its global diplomacy, making the cessation of Israeli military operations in Lebanon one of the main conditions in peace negotiations with the United States. Katz’s strong statement came just days after the Lebanese government took a diplomatic step, with Beirut signing a framework agreement supported by Washington to end the border fighting. However, the peace deal was immediately rejected outright by Hezbollah, which argued the agreement would only grant Israel freedom to operate inside Lebanese territory. The militia group’s rejection triggered fresh domestic turmoil, with large-scale mass demonstrations spontaneously erupting on the streets of Beirut.
Israel began expanding its military offensive in Lebanon in early March after Hezbollah fired rockets into Israeli territory during the raging war between the US-Israel alliance and Iran. The military aggression has triggered a severe humanitarian crisis, with Israeli air strikes having killed nearly 4,300 people in Lebanon. Beyond the death toll, the attacks have devastated civilian life, forcing around one million people to flee according to data from the Lebanese Health Ministry and the UN. In recent months, Israeli forces have pushed deep into the southern region, establishing what Israeli officials call a security buffer zone. Local media reports indicate massive Israeli infantry movements on the ground, with troops reportedly controlling approximately 2,000 square kilometres of Lebanese land by June, an area equivalent to nearly one-fifth of Lebanon’s total territory.