Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel will remain in southern Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed and no longer threatens communities in northern Israel.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Thursday rejected President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Israel could withdraw from southern Lebanon, saying Israel does not need approval from any outside government to keep forces there.
Katz said Israel’s military presence along the Lebanese border is necessary to protect northern Israeli communities from Hezbollah, the Iran-backed terrorist organization that Israeli officials say continues to pose a threat.
“We didn’t ask for anyone’s approval to enter Lebanon, and we don’t need approval to stay in Lebanon,” Katz said in a statement, according to The Washington Examiner. “It is our right and duty to defend the residents of the Galilee and Israeli citizens from the threats of the jihadist terror group Hezbollah, which aims to destroy the State of Israel.”
Katz said Israel will not leave the security zone in southern Lebanon until Hezbollah has been disarmed throughout the country and the threat to residents in northern Israel has been removed.
“As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I have clarified, we will continue to stay in the security zone in Lebanon and to act from it as needed, until Hezbollah is disarmed in all of Lebanon and the threat to the residents of the north is removed,” Katz said.
His remarks came one day after Trump said at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, that he believed Israel was prepared to leave southern Lebanon following his discussions with Netanyahu.
“I talked to him about that. I think they’re going to. I think they want to,” Trump told reporters when asked whether Israel would withdraw. “They’re getting along with Lebanon; they’re signing deals with Lebanon.”
Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials have not publicly said they intend to withdraw troops from the security zone along the Lebanese border. Israeli leaders have instead repeatedly said any withdrawal depends on Hezbollah being disarmed and the danger to northern Israeli communities being eliminated.
Israel has maintained that keeping troops in southern Lebanon is necessary to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its military capabilities near the border after months of fighting.
The question of Israel’s presence in Lebanon has remained under discussion between Washington and Jerusalem since a ceasefire took effect in Lebanon.
U.S.-mediated talks between Israel and the Lebanese government have focused partly on efforts to disarm Hezbollah. Israel has described that as a required condition before ending its military deployment in southern Lebanon.
Israeli officials have argued that the Lebanese government has not meaningfully dismantled Hezbollah’s military infrastructure. They also contend that Hezbollah has used the relative lull in fighting to regroup and rearm after sustaining major losses from Israeli military operations.
Trump made his comments while appearing alongside Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the NATO summit. Syria and Israel do not have formal diplomatic relations, though the Trump administration has encouraged broader regional normalization efforts.
Katz’s response underscored the gap between Trump’s public assessment and Israel’s stated position. For now, Israeli officials say the country will remain in southern Lebanon as long as Hezbollah remains armed and capable of threatening the Galilee and other communities in northern Israel.
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