What is the Litani River?: The Litani is Lebanon's longest river, approximately 170 kilometres, rising in the Bekaa Valley and flowing west to the Mediterranean near Tyre. It has no cross-border flow and serves as Lebanon's main hydropower and irrigation resource.
Why does Israel want land south of the Litani?: Defence Minister Katz declared in March 2026 that Israel will seize and hold all territory south of the Litani, roughly 800 to 900 square kilometres. Israel frames the river as a security buffer, echoing the rationale used in every Lebanese operation since 1978.
What is UNSCR 1701?: UN Security Council Resolution 1701 ended the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war and required Hezbollah to withdraw north of the Litani River. The resolution was never fully enforced; Hezbollah's continued presence south of the river became the pretext for subsequent Israeli operations.
What is Operation Litani?: Operation Litani was a 1978 Israeli military offensive that pushed PLO forces north of the Litani River. It established the river as the outer limit of Israeli military objectives in Lebanon, a benchmark referenced in every subsequent operation.

Background

The Litani has marked the outer limit of Israeli military ambitions since Operation Litani in 1978, which pushed PLO forces north of it. UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war, required Hezbollah to withdraw north of the river and prohibited armed forces other than the Lebanese army south of it. That line was never enforced. Hezbollah's continued presence south of the Litani became the political justification for every subsequent Israeli military action.

The Litani is Lebanon's longest river, running approximately 170 kilometres from the Bekaa Valley near Baalbek before turning west to the Mediterranean near Tyre. It has no cross-border flow, making it uniquely Lebanon's internal resource. But its significance is military and political: Israel declared it the target line for its current operation, with Defence Minister Katz stating the IDF will seize all territory south of the river , roughly 800 to 900 square kilometres of Lebanese land.

The IDF severed the last major road north when it destroyed the Qasmiyeh bridge , isolating southern communities already absorbing over 1,000 deaths . Ground fighting in Khiam confirms Israel is now pressing toward the river rather than holding a static perimeter .

Source Material

Litani River — Wikipedia Reuters Middle East coverage BBC Middle East News

How the World Sees Them

Israel

The Litani has marked the outer limit of Israeli ambitions since Operation Litani in 1978, though Israel crossed it most extensively between 1982 and 2000. Seizing all territory south frames it as a security buffer rather than a political border, echoing every prior Lebanese operation.

Lebanon

Lebanon never controlled the south effectively enough to enforce the Litani as a boundary, making UNSCR 1701 unenforceable and handing Israel the pretext for every subsequent operation. Southern Lebanese communities, predominantly Shia, bear the cost of a boundary they had no voice in.

Hezbollah

Hezbollah's presence south of the Litani since 2006, in direct violation of UNSCR 1701, was the condition that made the current Israeli operation possible. Clashes in Khiam suggest Hezbollah retains capacity south of the river but is not mounting a conventional defence.

United Nations

UNSCR 1701 assigned UNIFIL the task of monitoring the Litani line without enforcement authority, a gap that has persisted since 2006. With Israeli forces operating south of the river, UNIFIL is present in the zone but unable to protect civilians or enforce the resolution.