Israel weighs 4-kilometer 'security zone' inside Lebanon

'Gray line' redeployment plan

Israeli military officials are weighing a proposal to establish a new "security zone" stretching between 2 and 4 kilometers into Lebanese territory as part of a redeployment framework that would see forces pull back after destroying tunnels in the Ali al-Taher heights, according to Israel's public broadcaster KAN.

The proposed framework — dubbed the "gray line" by unnamed security sources cited by KAN — envisions establishing positions from which troops could launch operations inside Lebanon. The plan has not received approval from Israel's political leadership and remains under active discussion before any decision is made.

Minister claims 'operational control'

Defense Minister Israel Katz said Friday that the army had consolidated control over what he termed a "security zone" in southern Lebanon, speaking one day after the military said it had achieved "operational control" over the Ali al-Taher heights. The announcement follows weeks of escalating airstrikes and ground operations that have pushed Israeli forces more than 10 kilometers inside Lebanese territory — their deepest advance since withdrawing from the south in 2000.

Casualties mount since March

Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed more than 4,000 people and injured over 12,000 others since March, while forcing more than 1 million people from their homes, according to Lebanese authorities. The ongoing occupation of southern territory comes despite a US-mediated agreement providing for gradual Israeli withdrawal and marks Tel Aviv's most extensive military footprint in Lebanon in decades.