Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that he had instructed the Israel Defense Forces to “further expand the existing security zone” on the Lebanese side of the border with Israel to “finally thwart the threat of invasion and to keep anti-tank missile fire away.”

Until 2000, Israel had maintained a buffer zone in Southern Lebanon, together with the now-defunct South Lebanon Army, a predominantly Christian entity with recruits from the Maronite minority of Lebanon. After the 2000 IDF pullout, Hezbollah became one of the best-armed terror groups in the world, capable of sustained fighting with the IDF.

“It must be understood that [slain Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah created a great force here. He believed that with this force he would destroy us. We eliminated Nasrallah. We eliminated thousands of Hezbollah terrorists, and above all, we eliminated the enormous threat of 150,000 missiles and rockets, which were intended to destroy Israeli cities,” Netanyahu said. “But Hezbollah still has a residual ability to launch rockets at us.”

Netanyahu said he’d discussed with the heads of the IDF Northern Command “ways to remove this threat as well,” though he added that he “cannot share these discussions.” The premier added “that we are determined to fundamentally change this situation in the north.”