BY EMMANUEL OGBONNA
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Tuesday that Israeli forces will continue to maintain a military presence in southern Lebanon until Hezbollah no longer poses a security threat to Israel, signaling that a full withdrawal remains unlikely despite a recently brokered security agreement between Israel and Lebanon.
Netanyahu made the remarks during a visit to Israeli-controlled territory inside southern Lebanon, where he met with Israeli soldiers alongside Defense Minister Israel Katz and senior military commanders. The visit marked his first trip to the occupied area since Israel and Lebanon reached a U.S.-mediated security agreement last Friday aimed at easing tensions along the volatile border.
Addressing troops stationed in southern Lebanon, Netanyahu stressed that Israel’s security would remain the government’s top priority and insisted that Israeli forces would not leave the area while Hezbollah continued to maintain military capabilities close to the border.
“Our insistence is that we will not leave southern Lebanon until the threat is removed,” Netanyahu said in remarks released by his office. He added that as long as Hezbollah remained armed and capable of threatening Israeli communities, Israeli troops would continue their deployment in southern Lebanon.
The prime minister’s comments underscore the fragile nature of the latest security arrangement, which is intended to reduce hostilities after months of intense fighting between Israeli forces and the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group.
Under the agreement, which was facilitated by the United States, Israeli troops are expected to withdraw from two designated “pilot zones” and transfer responsibility for those areas to the Lebanese Armed Forces. While the deal has been welcomed as an initial step toward reducing tensions, officials have released few details about how the handover will be implemented or how security will be maintained after Israeli forces leave those locations.
The broader conflict erupted after Hezbollah launched attacks against Israel on March 2 in response to U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran carried out several days earlier. The escalation quickly developed into a wider regional conflict involving multiple countries across the Middle East, resulting in thousands of deaths and widespread destruction.
Since the fighting began, the Israeli military has established what it describes as a security buffer zone extending approximately 10 kilometers, or six miles, into Lebanese territory along much of the shared border. Israeli officials argue that the buffer zone is necessary to prevent future cross-border attacks and to better protect communities in northern Israel from Hezbollah rocket fire and infiltration attempts.
Israeli forces have conducted extensive military operations throughout southern Lebanon during the campaign, targeting what the military says are Hezbollah positions, weapons depots, command centers and underground tunnel networks. Military officials have stated that these operations are intended to dismantle Hezbollah’s military infrastructure and reduce the group’s ability to launch attacks against Israel.
The conflict has also had a devastating humanitarian impact on Lebanon. More than 4,000 people have reportedly been killed since the fighting intensified in March, while over one million residents have been displaced from their homes as military operations spread across southern parts of the country.
On the Israeli side, Hezbollah attacks have killed at least 32 Israeli soldiers and four civilians, with most of the casualties occurring in communities and military positions near the Lebanese border.
During his visit, Netanyahu claimed that Hezbollah still possesses approximately 12,000 rockets and missiles despite months of Israeli military operations. He also said Israeli forces have killed around 9,000 Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon since the conflict began in early March, although he did not provide evidence or specify the exact period covered by the figure.
Hezbollah does not regularly publish casualty figures for its fighters, making it difficult to independently verify claims regarding the group’s battlefield losses.
Diplomatic efforts to end the conflict continue alongside military operations. Iran has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Lebanon as part of broader negotiations with the United States aimed at reducing regional tensions following the outbreak of war earlier this year.
Israel, however, has maintained that developments in Lebanon should remain separate from negotiations concerning Iran and has opposed linking the two conflicts.
Although Israel agreed to a ceasefire with Hezbollah on June 19 under U.S. diplomatic pressure, sporadic violence has continued along parts of the border, raising concerns that the truce remains fragile.
Hezbollah has repeatedly criticized the ongoing negotiations between Israel and Lebanon and has made clear that it is not participating in the talks, leaving uncertainty over whether any long-term security arrangement can be fully implemented without the group’s involvement.
With Israeli forces still deployed inside southern Lebanon, Hezbollah maintaining a military presence in the region and ceasefire violations continuing to be reported, the border remains one of the Middle East’s most volatile flashpoints despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to prevent a renewed escalation.