By Ghazali Ibrahim
Israeli Defence Minister, Israel Katz, has declared that Israel will not withdraw its forces from Lebanon or any other territory currently under its control, insisting that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) will remain in designated “security zones” indefinitely.
Katz made the statement on Monday, following Sunday’s announcement of a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran.
According to him, he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are implementing a “clear policy” aimed at maintaining Israeli military presence in strategic areas across Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza.
“The area will be cleared of local residents and all terrorist infrastructure, above and below ground including the houses in the contact villages that served as terrorist outposts — will be destroyed,” Katz said.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday announced what he described as the completion of a deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran, alongside authorization for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to global oil traffic.
At the time of filing this report, Prime Minister Netanyahu had not issued any official response to the reported U.S.–Iran understanding.
