Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel will maintain a buffer zone inside Lebanon and continue military operations even after a U.S.-mediated ceasefire agreement.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Israel will keep troops in southern Lebanon and continue military operations against Hezbollah despite a newly announced ceasefire, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday.
Israel and Lebanon agreed Wednesday to a ceasefire following U.S.-mediated talks, but Katz said the Israeli military would remain in areas of southern Lebanon that Israel says are needed as a buffer zone to protect northern communities from Hezbollah attacks.
Under the ceasefire agreement, Hezbollah is supposed to halt attacks on Israel and withdraw its fighters from territory south of the Litani River. Hezbollah did not participate in the talks and has not commented on the agreement.
Katz said Israel would not allow hundreds of thousands of Lebanese residents displaced by the fighting to return to their homes in the south while Israeli forces continue operations. More than 1 million Lebanese have been displaced since the fighting began in March.
Israel will continue to “dismantle terrorist infrastructure in the area,” Katz said, adding that Israel has “freedom of action, backed by the United States, to strike in Beirut in response to attacks on Israeli communities and territory.”
The war in Lebanon began in March after Iran-backed Hezbollah fired across the border in support of Tehran, prompting Israel to invade southern Lebanon. The fighting has killed thousands of people and has become a major obstacle in efforts to reach a broader settlement in the Iran war.
Tehran has refused to accept a peace agreement with Washington unless a ceasefire also applies to Lebanon.
The new agreement calls for the Lebanese military to take exclusive control of the affected territory. Hezbollah’s role remains uncertain, and the group has not said whether it will comply with the terms.
Before the ceasefire was announced, Hezbollah said it carried out two drone and rocket attacks on Israeli troops inside Lebanon shortly after midnight local time Wednesday.
The agreement drew immediate criticism from Israel’s right. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called the ceasefire a “serious mistake” and said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should bring it before the cabinet for a vote.
Ben-Gvir said Hezbollah would not withdraw from the area south of the Litani River and argued that the Lebanese Armed Forces could not force the group to comply.
“The Lebanese state is a partner of Hezbollah,” Ben-Gvir said. “In practice, Hezbollah will only grow stronger, and instead of defeating it, Israel is accepting its very existence.”
A previous ceasefire in April, later extended, failed to stop the violence. Israel and Hezbollah continued to launch attacks after that agreement took effect.
The latest dispute follows President Donald Trump’s statement Monday that Israel would not strike Beirut. Netanyahu had previously said he ordered attacks on the Lebanese capital’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold.
Trump’s announcement led to criticism from Netanyahu’s opponents and some allies, who said the prime minister had surrendered Israeli decision-making authority to Washington.
Ben-Gvir repeated that argument Thursday, saying Israel must be willing to reject U.S. pressure when its security is at stake.
“There are moments when one must know how to say ‘no’ even to the President of the United States, and if we fail to do so, we will meet Hezbollah next time when it is far stronger and much more dangerous,” Ben-Gvir said.
The ceasefire leaves unresolved the future of Israeli forces inside Lebanon, the return of displaced civilians and whether Hezbollah will withdraw from southern territory. Katz’s comments signal that Israel intends to keep acting militarily while those questions remain unsettled.
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