Israeli enemy is still defying defeat after the announcement of US-Iran deal, with defense minister saying occupation forces will stay in southern Lebanon.
In first official remarks by an Israeli leader on the ceasefire that was announced last night, Israel Katz defended the Zionist entity’s policy.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I are leading a clear policy that determines that the IDF will remain in the security zones in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza, without any time limit, to protect, from there, the border and Israeli communities against jihadist elements.”
“The security zones will be cleared of local residents, and all terror infrastructure, above and below ground, including the houses in the contact-line villages that served as terror outposts, will be destroyed,” he added.
The Israeli DM said that “holding onto the security zones is among the IDF’s greatest achievements” in the war, and therefore, “we oppose an IDF withdrawal from Lebanon, despite all the existing pressures and those that will still come,” referring to Israeli occupation forces.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu made these points clear to US President Trump and to other senior American officials, and I also made this clear yesterday to US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth,” he said, adding that the IDF also supports holding onto the security zone in Lebanon.
“We will not compromise on Israel’s security interests and the protection of our citizens, and we will not withdraw from the security zones,” Katz noted.
Katz also warned that “if Iran attacks Israel because of events in Lebanon, we will strike it with full force.”
“We are committed only to our citizens and to the security of the State of Israel,” he added.
For its part, the Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot reported that Netanyahu informed Trump that “Israel is not bound by the terms of the agreement” reached between Iran and Washington and will not withdraw from Lebanon.
The newspaper quoted Israeli sources as saying that Netanyahu also told Trump that “the Israeli army will remain in its current positions inside Lebanon and will respond to any attacks by Hezbollah.”
Source: Israeli media (translated and edited by Al-Manar English Website)