CounterPunch Exclusives

CounterPunch Exclusives

From “Never Again” to Israel’s “Gates of Hell” in Gaza and Lebanon

Israel’s politicians and generals have a strategy: not security, not coexistence. It is the oldest colonial formula in history: seize the land, expel the indigenous population, and then call the defenders terrorists.

On March 16, Israel invaded South Lebanon under the pretext of protecting its Jewish-only colonies in the north. At first, it was a so-called security zone ranging from four to six miles inside Lebanon. This was followed by ordering the evacuation of towns and villages for an area of roughly 775 square miles, about a fifth of the entire country. Now, to shield its occupying army in the “security zone” it created weeks earlier to protect the Jewish-only colonies across the borders.

Over a million Lebanese were ethnically cleansed from their homes, not as a byproduct of war, but as explicit Israeli policy. Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz ordered his army to demolish Lebanese border villages and permanently occupy Lebanese territory up to the Litani River. He did not mince words about what those orders meant: Lebanese living in the so-called security zone “will not return,” he said. “None of them will return.” Katz restated the Israeli position on June 24, 2026 “Two hundred thousand residents will not return,” and that Israel will not withdraw from South Lebanon even if the U.S. demands it.

The Lebanese resistance remains the only obstacle to Israel’s occupation. Outgunned, outmanned, and facing one of the most heavily armed militaries in the world, Lebanese fighters nonetheless are waging a guerrilla campaign targeting the occupying military, not Israeli civilians. In a fierce battle before the announced ceasefire, resistance fighters raided a heavily........

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