JERUSALEM, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that Israel will maintain a "security zone" in southern Lebanon up to the Litani River indefinitely, banning the return of more than 600,000 displaced residents and ordering the demolition of villages near the border.

Speaking after a situation assessment with senior military officers, Katz said homes in border villages would be demolished, and Israeli forces would maintain a permanent presence in the zone "with strict enforcement and absolute deterrence."

"We are determined to separate Lebanon from the Iranian arena, remove Hezbollah's threat capability, and change the situation in Lebanon once and for all," he said. "Just as in Syria and Gaza, so in Lebanon."

The plan would extend Israeli control well beyond the Blue Line, a line demarcated by the United Nations in 2000 to verify Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon. The Litani River lies significantly north of that line, meaning Israel would be holding a broad stretch of Lebanese territory if implemented.

The river, Lebanon's longest at roughly 170 kilometers, has long figured in Israeli-Lebanese conflicts and security proposals. The Blue Line is monitored by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, and several areas along it remain disputed.

Cross-border fighting resumed on March 2 when Hezbollah launched rockets toward Israel for the first time since a ceasefire took effect on Nov. 27, 2024, after the Israeli-U.S. strikes on Iran, prompting intensified Israeli airstrikes across southern and eastern Lebanon.

In a separate development, the Israeli military said its air force carried out overnight strikes on weapons production sites in Tehran based on intelligence. Tuesday marked the 31st day of Israeli-U.S. strikes on Iran.