Ottawa, Canada - Canada on Tuesday blasted Israel's plans to illegally occupy land in southern Lebanon up to the Litani River.

"Canada strongly condemns Israel's plans to occupy territory in southern Lebanon," Global Affairs Canada said on social media platform X.

"Lebanon's sovereignty & territorial integrity must not be violated. Hezbollah's attacks on Israel must cease and they must disarm."

Earlier on Tuesday, Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israel intends to occupy over southern Lebanon up to the Litani River, some 15 miles from the border, adding that it has destroyed vital infrastructure in the area.

"All bridges over the Litani that were used by Hezbollah for transporting fighters and weapons have been blown up, and the Israeli army will control the remaining bridges and the security zone up to the Litani," Katz told a meeting with Israeli officers in their Tel Aviv headquarters.

Katz also said that Israeli ground troops would advance further into Lebanon without providing details.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into force in November 2024 after a war lasting around a year, but it has been violated many hundreds of times by Israeli forces, who have killed well over 1,000 people in Lebanon and violently displaced more than a million as part of their unprovoked war on Iran.