Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz delivered a rebuke to President Donald Trump, responding to his suggestion that Israel may withdraw from southern Lebanon by saying it didn’t need approval from anyone.
Katz had previously suggested that Israel would remain in Lebanon, even if the United States demanded that the country leave. Trump didn’t demand as much but did publicly favor a withdrawal at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. Katz firmly shot down the notion on Thursday.
“We didn’t ask for anyone’s approval to enter Lebanon, and we don’t need approval to stay in Lebanon,” he said in a statement. “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.”
“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 added.
The comments he was responding to were made at the summit while Trump was sitting next to Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa, whose own relations with Israel are fraught.
“I talked to [Netanyahu] about that. I think they’re going to. I think they want to,” Trump said, responding to a question about whether Israel would withdraw from the country. “They’re getting along with Lebanon, they’re signing deals with Lebanon.”
Trump’s claim directly opposed all public statements from Israeli public officials. Despite the fractured nature of Israel’s political scene, most Israelis are convinced of the necessity of remaining in southern Lebanon to counter Hezbollah’s ability to launch attacks against Israel. The Iran-backed group has long been the biggest thorn in Israel’s side, and the current situation is seen as the best chance yet to crush it once and for all.
Israel’s aim to remain in Lebanon and take out Hezbollah has been one of the biggest sources of tensions with Washington. Iran insisted on a ceasefire in Lebanon being part of the wider ceasefire, causing Trump to exert heavy pressure against Israel to halt its advance. Though both sides have repeatedly violated the ceasefire, Israel has been restrained from major attacks against Beirut and important Hezbollah infrastructure to the north.
ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS IDF WON’T WITHDRAW FROM SOUTHERN LEBANON, EVEN IF US DEMANDS IT
Israel has made the complete disarmament of Hezbollah an essential precondition for any withdrawal from Lebanon. Its negotiations with the Lebanese government, mediated by the U.S., have focused on disarming the group, but it is unlikely that Beirut could meaningfully move against Hezbollah.
The terrorist organization, meanwhile, has used the lull in fighting to regroup and rearm after suffering significant setbacks against the Israeli military.