Smotrich Calls for Annexing Lebanese Territory Up to Litani River

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called for annexing parts of Lebanon up to the Litani River to be part of Israel, stating that such a step, alongside annexing territory from the Gaza Strip, would make Israel's enemies "pay the price" for the October 7, 2023 attack and the subsequent multi-front war.

Speaking on Sunday during an appearance on a podcast associated with the Israeli website Ynet, Smotrich said: "I strongly desire to annex land reaching at least to the Yellow Line in Gaza, and to the Litani River in Lebanon."

The Israeli Finance Minister emphasized that his support for annexing these areas is not limited, according to him, to settlement motives alone, but also aims to ensure "making the enemy pay a price that prevents them from launching a new war if confrontations end at the borders where they began."

Smotrich's stance comes at a time when Israeli expansionist ambitions are colliding with a firm Lebanese rejection of any territorial seizure within ongoing negotiations regarding withdrawal and disarmament, as well as conflicting with the US administration's plan for the post-war phase, which explicitly stipulates the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from those areas.

The Litani River represents an unofficial boundary for southern Lebanon, where the Israeli army imposes a buffer zone following repeated clashes with Hezbollah.

Smotrich's remarks were not limited to Lebanon and Gaza, as he also called on Israel to "wage war" in the West Bank and "repeat what happened in Gaza there," in his words.