JERUSALEM: Israel’s defense minister said Sunday that Israeli forces had standing orders to act against any threat they encountered inside Lebanon, insisting that troops would remain in the so-called security zone established within Lebanese territory.
“There has never been, and there is currently no restriction on IDF soldiers in Lebanon from acting to eliminate threats... As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I have made clear: Israel will not withdraw from the security zone in Lebanon,” Israel Katz said in a statement, referring to an area extending roughly 10 kilometers (six miles) into Lebanese territory, where Israeli forces are deployed.
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Sunday rejected any Israeli security zone in Lebanon.
Israeli troops “remaining on Lebanese land is impossible. There are no security zones for Israel... we have a national army which deploys, and it is responsible for preserving sovereignty, and it is who we cooperate with,” Qassem said in a televised address, adding that “Israel is an aggressor and must leave.”
Katz’s remarks came shortly after Iran warned that it would not enter talks on a broader agreement with Washington unless the war in Lebanon comes to an end.
“Without the implementation of these provisions, especially paragraph 1 (termination of the war on all fronts, including Lebanon), entry into the negotiation phase for the final agreement is not possible,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei wrote on X, referring to a provision in the initial deal between Tehran and Washington.
Iran said earlier that the ongoing conflict in Lebanon between Israel and militant group Hezbollah will top the agenda in talks with the United States in Switzerland, as well as issues such as frozen Iranian funds and the sale of the country’s oil.
“The Zionist regime continues to violate its commitment in Lebanon, this issue will be the main topic of discussion in today’s talks,” Baqaei had said in a video shared by IRNA state news agency.
Tehran said on Thursday it had signed a deal with Washington to end months of hostilities that began on February 28 following US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
Under the agreement, the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in Lebanon was also due to stop.
Iran’s military announced on Saturday that it has closed the Strait of Hormuz again over ongoing Israeli attacks in Lebanon.
But there were no reports of fresh strikes in Lebanon after Saturday evening and Baqaei said since Saturday “a fragile cessation (in Lebanon) has been established.”
