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Israel will keep its troops in occupied areas of Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria indefinitely, Defense Minister Israel Katz has said, describing the policy as necessary for “defending the borders.”
Speaking on Wednesday at a memorial ceremony for soldiers killed in the 2006 Lebanon War, Katz said there would be no Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed.
“Our policy for defending the borders of the State of Israel … is clear,” Katz said, as quoted by the Jerusalem Post. “The IDF will not withdraw and will remain in the security zones in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza for an unlimited period of time.”
Katz also renewed an earlier warning to Iran, saying it would be struck with “full force” if it retaliated over Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon. The warning echoed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent pledge that Israel’s pursuit of “total victory” over Iran and its allied groups “never ends.”
Tehran has made an end to Israeli military operations in Lebanon one of its key conditions in the ongoing peace talks with the US.
Katz’s remarks came days after the Lebanese government signed a US-backed framework agreement with Israel aimed at ending months of fighting along the border. Hezbollah rejected the deal, arguing it would give West Jerusalem a free hand to operate inside Lebanon, while the agreement also sparked mass protests in Beirut.
Israel expanded its offensive in Lebanon in early March after Hezbollah fired rockets at the Jewish state during the US-Israeli war with Iran. Israeli strikes have since killed nearly 4,300 people and displaced around one million, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry and the UN.
In recent months, the IDF has pushed deeper into southern Lebanon, establishing what Israeli officials describe as a security buffer zone. According to media reports, by June Israeli forces controlled roughly 2,000 square kilometers of Lebanese territory – nearly one-fifth of the country.
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