“Israeli troops will not withdraw completely from Lebanon,” said Minister of Defense, Israel Katz, a few hours after the signing of the ceasefire agreement Israel – Lebanon.
At the same time, Israel Katz warned that “if Iran attempts to attack Israel to prevent the implementation of the agreement, we will respond with great force”.
After describing the agreement between Israel and Lebanon signed yesterday, Israel Katz stated that “it may, for the first time in decades, shape a new and safer reality along the northern border and in Lebanon.”
He emphasized, in fact, that “the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will not withdraw completely from Lebanon,” as he had previously promised, and that “the army will maintain its security zone, including the area of the Beaufort Castle ridge.”
“The real test will be the implementation of the agreement, and many challenges still lie ahead,” said Israel Katz. He also announced that he had ordered the army to “prepare for a prolonged presence in the security zone and make the necessary preparations to protect IDF soldiers and eliminate threats to communities in the north.”
““The key principle established in the agreement is that there will be… absolutely no withdrawal as long as the Hezbollah terrorist organization has not been disarmed throughout Lebanon,” he said.
He also pointed out that “the Israel–Lebanon agreement is a strategic blow to the Iranian axis.” “Iran tried to force Israel to withdraw from Lebanon through threats and pressure on the United States, but failed,” claimed Israel Katz.
It should be noted that the statements by Defense Minister Israel Katz follow statements by the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sheikh Naim Qassem, who said: “We did not abandon the battlefield under the most difficult conditions, and we will not abandon it.”
“The framework agreement in Washington is humiliation, a disgrace, and a surrender of sovereignty,” he emphasized. “Direct negotiations constitute clear and unconditional concessions to Israel, because these are meetings aimed at imposing submission to the enemy’s demands”, Sheikh Naim Qassem emphasized.
