politics
Israel's defense minister rejects U.S. president's claim of Lebanon withdrawal
Israel's defense minister said Israel will keep forces in southern Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed. The statement directly contradicts the U.S. president's earlier assertion that a withdrawal deal had been reached.
Jul 9, 4:10 AM·1m read2 sources
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Israel's defense minister rejected the U.S. president's claim that Israel would withdraw its forces from Lebanon, stating that the country does not need permission to remain in security zones. "We did not ask anyone's permission to enter Lebanon, and we do not need permission to stay in Lebanon," the defense minister stated.
The minister added that Israel would maintain a presence in southern Lebanon until Hezbollah is completely disarmed and the threat is fully removed.
U.S. president's earlier remarks The U.S. president told reporters at a NATO summit that he believed Israel would withdraw troops from southern Lebanon. "Yeah, I think they're going to. I think they want to," the U.S. president said. "So we have a deal with Israel and Lebanon. Yeah, they'll leave. And I think it's going to work out very well."
president's remarks and directly contradicted them. The minister emphasized that protecting Israeli citizens from Hezbollah is Israel's "privilege and right." No timeline for any withdrawal was provided by Israeli officials.
