TEL AVIV, September 4. /TASS/. Israel does not intend to withdraw its troops from Lebanon until the Shiite organization Hezbollah is completely disarmed throughout the republic, Defense Minister Israel Katz said, commenting on the seizure of the Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon.
"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I are pursuing a clear and uncompromising policy, which is reinforced daily by the actions of the Israel Defense Forces: Israel will not withdraw from the security zone in southern Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed throughout Lebanon and the threats to the residents of Galilee are eliminated," Katz said in a statement.
Speaking about the capture of the heights on the Ali al-Taher ridge, including the underground infrastructure, the day before, the defense minister said that this was "an important step towards fulfilling the task" of disarming Hezbollah. According to him, the operation to clear the area was carried out on the basis of intelligence indicating the presence of an extensive Hezbollah military infrastructure in underground tunnels.
"This served as the last command outpost [of Hezbollah units] to protect the Nabatieh area," Katz said, adding that this operation "marks the completion of the phase of establishing control over the security zone in southern Lebanon."
