Israel's colonization of south Lebanon is already under way

Paul Khalifeh

27 May 2026

https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/israels-colonisation-south-lebanon-already-under-way

Despite official Israeli denials and the refusal of some Lebanese to acknowledge the reality, the colonization of south Lebanon is neither a myth nor a fantasy. It is a concrete and structured project.

On 14 May, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir revealed that Israel had a "settlement plan for Lebanon". The far-right minister made the statement on the very day Lebanon and Israel were due to resume direct negotiations in Washington under US auspices aimed at normalizing relations and reaching a comprehensive agreement.

Several weeks earlier, on 26 March, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared that "the Litani must be our new border with the state of Lebanon, just like the 'Yellow Line' in Gaza and like the buffer zone and peak of the Hermon in Syria".

These statements are not merely rhetorical provocations. They accompany and support actions already taking place on the ground by Israeli civilians inside Lebanese territory.

On 12 February, weeks before the latest war broke out, dozens of settlers, including women and children, attempted to plant trees inside Lebanese territory in what appeared to be a staged demonstration promoting Israeli settlement expansion. Participants called for the alleged "resumption" of settlement activity in Lebanon, presenting it as a "historical correction".

Not isolated

The Yaroun incident is not an isolated case, despite attempts by Israeli authorities to portray it as such. It fits into a broader and carefully orchestrated campaign designed to acclimatise Israeli public opinion to the idea of colonising south Lebanon, a territory regarded by some extremists as an integral part of "Greater Israel".

On 5 December 2024, only days after the end of the "66-Day War", a group of Israelis entered the border village of Maroun el-Ras and erected tents before being evacuated by soldiers.

At the height of the fighting, on 20 November, another major incident exposed Israeli ambitions more clearly.

Controversial Israeli archaeologist Zeev Erlich, aged 71, was killed during clashes between the Israeli army and Hezbollah fighters in the village of Chamaa, located 25km from the border.

Originally from the settlement of Ofra in the occupied West Bank - of which he was one of the founders - Erlich was wearing a military uniform and carrying a weapon when he died. He authored several books on Jewish history in Israel and the broader region.

The Israeli army stated that Erlich had been invited to "assess a fortress" intended to be transformed into an observation post.

Lebanese sources told Middle East Eye that the archaeologist's true mission was to inspect the shrine of Saint Peter in Chamaa - also known as Maqam Chamoun as-Safa - a rare pilgrimage site revered by both Shia Muslims and Christians alike.

The religious site, along with the citadel, later suffered extensive destruction in subsequent Israeli air strikes.

Zionist roots

The colonisation of south Lebanon is not a fabrication or a paranoid fantasy. It is a tangible project deeply rooted in the history of Zionist ideology.

Lebanese statesman Raymond Edde (1913-2000), whose father Emile Edde was one of the founders of Greater Lebanon, spent much of his political career warning against Israeli territorial ambitions in Lebanon.

In a statement issued on 22 April 1998, Raymond Edde recalled historical episodes relayed to him by his father:

It is necessary to remember that as early as 1904, Theodor Herzl described the territory Zionism sought to obtain, extending from the 'Brook of Egypt to the Euphrates.' It was also to include Lebanon. In July 1947, during his testimony before the UN Special Committee of Inquiry, Rabbi Fischman, official representative of the Jewish Agency, echoed Herzl's words, declaring: 'The Promised Land extends from the River of Egypt to the Euphrates. It will include part of Syria and Lebanon.' On 14 May 1948, the State of Israel was created. Ben-Gurion presented a military report to the Supreme Command: 'We must prepare to launch the offensive. Our objective is to crush Lebanon. We shall establish a Christian state there.' In May 1954, Ben-Gurion and Dayan devised a military plan for the absorption of Lebanon. According to Dayan, the key would be to find a Lebanese officer, even a mere major. We should buy him so that he agrees to proclaim himself saviour of the Maronite people. The Israeli army would then enter Lebanon, occupy the necessary territories, and create a Christian regime allied with Israel. The territory south of the Litani would be fully annexed to Israel, and everything would be perfect.

Today, the project of colonising south Lebanon is primarily championed in Israel by an organisation known as Uri Tzafon, named after a biblical verse, literally meaning "Awaken, O North".

The movement was founded in late March 2024 to advocate for the reoccupation of south Lebanon and the establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the region.

The organisation, which has gathered several thousand supporters, argues that settling Lebanon is both a security necessity for northern Israel and part of a legitimate messianic mission to "reclaim" territories believed to fall within the biblical Land of Israel.

Growing momentum

Uri Tzafon was founded in memory of Yisrael Socol, a 24-year-old Israeli soldier killed in Gaza in January 2024. According to his family, Socol dreamed not only of Israeli settlements in Gaza, but also of settling in Lebanon himself.

"In addition to building a digital community, Uri Tzafon has also organised actions attempting to grow its presence on the ground," wrote Maya Razan on 19 August 2024. "It has led postering campaigns in towns across northern Israel, where public spaces including playgrounds and bomb shelters are now adorned with signs calling for the settlement of Lebanon."

The operations carried out in Maroun el-Ras in December 2024 and in Yaroun in February 2026 were reportedly organised by members of Uri Tzafon.

One can understand why official Israeli leaders continue to deny territorial ambitions in Lebanon, as Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar reiterated on 25 April. Israel remains engaged in direct negotiations with Lebanon while facing growing criticism from international public opinion.

What is more difficult to understand is why certain Lebanese continue to deny Israeli intentions towards their country.

Many still remember the controversial remarks made in January by Lebanese Foreign Minister Joe Rajji, who effectively justified Israeli attacks against Lebanon by stating that "Israel retains the right to launch attacks while Hezbollah is still armed".

The normalisation of Israel's expansionism has extended beyond politics into intellectual and media circles.

A lengthy article published on 31 March by the French-language daily L'Orient-Le Jour proposed a highly particular interpretation of history. Israel was portrayed as a victim of its neighbours, while the notion of a structural and absolute antagonism between Israel and Lebanon was dismissed as a "myth".

"Never, during the 22 years in which this region (south Lebanon) was under the control of the South Lebanon Army (SLA, a militia allied with the Hebrew state), did any Israeli come to plant a tent there," the article asserted.

The author appears to overlook the case of William Robinson, who had operated a children's home since 1985. Living in Lebanon for seven years, the fundamentalist Christian layman was assassinated in 1990, with the killing claimed by the Lebanese National Resistance Front.

Residents of villages in the region suspected Robinson of attempting to purchase large tracts of land in south Lebanon in order to establish a Jewish settlement there.