Israel Announces Plan to Seize Parts of Southern Lebanon as 'Defensive Buffer'

Netanyahu declared Israel will seize portions of southern Lebanon as a permanent 'defensive buffer zone,' escalating the Lebanon front. France urged Israel 'to refrain' from seizing the zone. Over 1,029 people have been killed and one million displaced in Lebanon since March 2. The announcement came as Hezbollah rocket barrages killed a woman in northern Israel. France's Macron warned during a Lebanese heritage exhibition opening that Israeli strikes on Litani River bridges constitute a prelude to ground invasion.