Proposals for expanded buffer zone: Israel's withdrawal from South Lebanon stirs controversy

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

As the Israeli army prepares to withdraw from the western sector of South Lebanon—an area parallel to Ras Naqoura, Shlomi, Hanita, and settlements under the Ma'ale Yosef Regional Council extending to Nahariyya—town mayors and residents have launched a broad campaign demanding a delay in the pullout until a buffer zone is established.  

Shlomi Council President revealed that Northern Command Chief Ori Gordin presented a map outlining plans for a security perimeter similar to the one implemented by the Israeli army in Syria. 

The military has disclosed that it is racing against time to create an open zone free of what it calls "vegetation cover," clearing vast areas within Lebanese territory, including orchards, fields, natural forests, and even grazing lands. Israel claims these areas serve as hideouts for Hezbollah's activities.  

According to the army's plans, modeled after its actions in Gaza, an eight-kilometer-wide security zone will be established in Lebanon, utterly devoid of cover, to allow for surveillance, monitoring, and swift responses when necessary.  

Several proposals have surfaced amid growing calls for a buffer zone, including one by Yaakov Betelson, former head of the Ari'el settlement and a researcher. His proposal, presented to security and military officials, involves evacuating Lebanese residents from several villages and extending the current border line up to 45 kilometers into Lebanese territory. 

Such a measure would make it nearly impossible for rockets to be launched toward northern Israeli towns, including Haifa. Betelson's plan, like other expansionist Zionist proposals, echoes the movement's historic ambitions tied to territorial claims predating the Balfour Declaration. 

However, it remains just a suggestion at this stage.  

On the ground, the Israeli army continues to intensify its operations in Lebanon. It recently announced that its latest actions in the South and the Bekaa Valley resulted in the destruction of an SA-22 air defense missile system.  

As the arrival of the U.S. envoy in Beirut looms to discuss the phases of the ceasefire, Israel has been conducting operations targeting areas even beyond those it reached during its Northern Arrows operation.