Turin, 15 April (LaPresse) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that he has ordered the army to extend the area occupied by the Israeli Defence Forces in southern Lebanon towards certain areas of the Syrian border. “I congratulate the residents of the north, who continue to stand firm, whilst our forces continue to strike at Hezbollah,” Netanyahu said, as reported by Haaretz. “The fighting is concentrated on Bat Jbeil, which was Hezbollah’s capital in southern Lebanon,” he added, stating that Israel “is about to destroy Bat Jbeil and effectively eliminate this major Hezbollah stronghold”.