Israel's Defence Minister Declares No Withdrawal from Lebanon, Syria, Gaza Amid US-Iran Deal
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz announced that Israeli forces will not withdraw from territories seized in Lebanon, Syria, and the Gaza Strip. The declaration came shortly after the announcement of an interim US-Iran deal to end hostilities in the Middle East. The deal, set to be signed in Geneva, includes conditions tied to halting Israel's attacks on Hezbollah.
Timelines
Sources
Israel's occupation of territory in Lebanon and Syria will continue, PM Netanyahu said, despite US deal with Iran.
Comments by Israel Katz come after announcement of interim deal between Washington and Tehran Middle East crisis – live updates Israeli military forces will not withdraw from a vast swathe of territory they have seized in southern Lebanon, the country’s defence minister has said, hours after Donald Trump and officials in Iran announced a new preliminary agreement between Washington and Tehran to end hostilities on “all fronts” in the Middle East pending a final settlement in about two months. Israel Katz’s remarks were the first official Israeli comments after the announcement of the interim deal. Iranian and US officials are to meet on Friday in Geneva for a signature ceremony, diplomatic sources in Pakistan, the principal mediator, said. Continue reading...
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Monday that Israeli ground forces would remain in land they hold in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, potentially challenging a memorandum of understanding announced a day earlier between the US and Iran to end the war in the Middle East.
Katz said Israel plans to stay “indefinitely” in lands it holds in Lebanon, as well as Syria and the Gaza Strip; Iran has tied the interim deal over the war to halting Israel's attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon.