Israel Refuses to Withdraw Troops from Lebanon, Claims US Backing
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has stated there are no plans to withdraw Israeli troops from Lebanon, claiming the decision has received backing from the United States. “We have announced that under no circumstances will we withdraw and, to date – and this is a diplomatic achievement – there has been no American demand for Israel to withdraw from Lebanon,” Katz said in a speech in Tel Aviv, as reported by AFP. When asked whether Israel would comply with a US request if one were made, Katz said he had informed US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had told US President Donald Trump, about the rationale for stationing Israeli forces in Lebanon.
Speaking at the same conference, Netanyahu reiterated that the Israeli military is not expected to pull out. “As long as I serve as Prime Minister, we will maintain a security zone in southern Lebanon – for as long as necessary,” he said, adding that the military is currently dismantling all Hezbollah infrastructure.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has rejected Israel’s occupation of southern Lebanese territory and foreign interference in his country’s affairs, a statement also seen as a rebuke of Iran, Hezbollah’s backer. Tehran has reaffirmed that peace in Lebanon is a fundamental pillar for reaching a definitive agreement with the US to end the wider Middle East war. Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding last week aimed at achieving a permanent settlement between the two nations, following the war launched by the US and Israel against Iran on 28 February.
Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into the Middle East war on 2 March with rocket attacks on Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in US and Israeli strikes. Israel responded with aerial bombardments and a ground assault that Lebanon says has killed more than 4,100 people, leading to the occupation of a 10-kilometre security zone in southern Lebanon along the border with Israel. Israel and Lebanon are currently engaged in a round of US-mediated talks in Washington seeking a diplomatic solution to the conflict and the disarmament of Hezbollah alongside the withdrawal of Israeli forces.