Israeli Reserve Leader Urges Creation of Sterile Buffer Zone to Litani River to Secure Northern Border

Gilad Ach, chairman of the Victory Generation reservists movement and CEO of the "Ad Kan South Lebanon" organization, called for establishing a permanent, sterile buffer zone along Israel's northern border up to the Litani River. He recounted that four months before the recent massacre in the border communities, Hezbollah militants operated freely along the Lebanese border, filming Israeli forces and setting up tents inside Israeli sovereign territory, while Israeli command forbade soldiers from engaging them. Ach criticized this approach as a dangerous security mindset that allowed Hezbollah to entrench itself and prepare for future attacks.

He emphasized that the recent agreement between Israel and Lebanon, which grants the Lebanese army control over certain border areas, risks bringing Hezbollah closer to Israel's border, potentially leading to another attack like the October 7 massacre. Ach argued that only the Israel Defense Forces can protect Israeli citizens by controlling territory up to the Litani River, regardless of the militants' affiliations or sects.

Ach proposed two bold measures: first, completing a permanent physical barrier along the Litani River, including trenches, sensors, and mines to prevent any hostile crossings; second, clearing all hostile settlements from the border area to create a truly sterile security zone. He warned that any remaining settlements, even non-hostile ones, could be exploited by Hezbollah for infiltration.

He concluded by stressing the urgency of these actions, stating that the window of opportunity is closing and that failure to act decisively will cost many soldiers' lives in the future. Ach called on Israeli leadership to stop relying on fragile arrangements and to empower the IDF to establish a buffer zone that will secure Israel's northern border for the next century.