JERUSALEM, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Friday that Israeli forces will continue to hold all areas they have "cleared and seized" in Lebanon, underscoring that military operations against Hezbollah are not yet complete, despite a ceasefire taking effect.
"The Israel Defense Forces will continue to hold all the places it has cleared and captured," Katz said in a statement, adding that ground operations and strikes across Lebanon have achieved "many results" but have not been fully concluded.
He reiterated that disarming Hezbollah, whether through military or political means, remains a central objective of the campaign.
Earlier, Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee warned residents in southern Lebanon against returning to areas south of the Litani River in a post on social media platform X, citing continued Israeli military presence due to Hezbollah activities.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel will maintain a 10-km security zone in southern Lebanon during the ceasefire period.
A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon took effect at midnight between Thursday and Friday local time (2100 GMT), following an earlier announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump. The truce aims to end more than a month of deadly escalation between Israel and Hezbollah, which has claimed over 2,000 lives. ■
