Defense Minister Israel Katz held a situational assessment at the Kirya headquarters, after which he confirmed that "the IDF has begun a ground maneuver in Lebanon to remove threats and protect the residents of the Galilee and the north." He declared that "hundreds of thousands of Shiite residents of southern Lebanon who have evacuated and are evacuating from their homes will not return to their homes south of the Litani area until the safety of the residents of the north is secured. Prime Minister Netanyahu and I instructed the IDF to destroy the terror infrastructure in the border villages adjacent to the border in Lebanon, exactly as was done against Hamas in Rafah, Beit Hanoun and the terror tunnels in Gaza."