Israel will occupy southern Lebanon up to the Litani River to create a “defensive buffer”, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday, spelling out for the first ‌time Israel’s intent to seize territory amounting to nearly a tenth of Lebanon, Reuters reported.

At a meeting with the military chief of staff, Katz said Israeli forces would “control the remaining bridges and the security zone up to the Litani,” a river that meets the Mediterranean about 30 km (20 miles) north of Israel’s border.

Senior Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said any Israeli occupation south of the Litani would be met with resistance. “We have no choice but to confront this aggression and cling to the land,” he told Reuters.