‘We must not withdraw a single inch’ from Lebanon: Far-right Israeli ministers criticize US-Iran deal

Far-right Israeli ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich criticized on Monday June 15 the agreement between the United States and Iran aimed at ending the war in the Middle East, including in Lebanon, saying that Israel was not bound by its terms. The Minister of Defense declared that Israel would maintain its troops in Lebanon.

Could Israeli stubbornness in Lebanon derail the US-Iran deal? The far-right Israeli Minister for National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, affirmed this Monday, June 15, that the “Trump agreement” does not “bind” them.

After weeks of painstaking negotiations, the United States and Iran have reached an agreement to immediately end the war in the Middle East on all fronts, including Lebanon, with a signing ceremony planned for Friday in Geneva.

“We are not party to this agreement. It does not guarantee our security,” he said on his Telegram channel. Before adding: “We must not settle for anything that is less than dismantling the (Lebanese Islamist movement) Hezbollah. We must not withdraw a single inch from the territory that our soldiers have conquered and cleared of terrorist infrastructure (in Lebanon).”

“We oppose a withdrawal of the army from Lebanon, despite all existing pressures”

The Israeli army having intensified its operations in Lebanon in recent weeks, Defense Minister Israel Katz assured this Monday that the IDF will maintain its troops in the country of Cédre. “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I have a clear policy that the Israeli military will remain in the security zones in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza for an indefinite period, to protect the border and Israeli communities from elements jihadists”, he declared in a press release which made no reference to the American-Iranian agreement.

“Territory control and maintaining security zones are among the greatest achievements of the Israeli army (…) which is why we oppose a withdrawal of the army from Lebanon, despite all existing and future pressures,” said Israel Katz, adding that Benjamin Netanyahu informed US President Donald Trump.

Israel’s defense minister also warned Iran, saying Israel would retaliate with “all its force” if the Islamic Republic attacked it in response to its military operations in Lebanon.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, for his part, affirmed that “the agreement with Iran is bad for Israel.” “The joint campaign (United States-Israel) has achieved many successes in weakening Iran, and these achievements have not been in vain,” declared the far-right minister on his Telegram channel. “We will have to continue the campaign to bring down the regime ourselves, using creative means, and ensure that Iran never acquires nuclear weapons,” he added, calling for strengthening the military campaign in Lebanon.

“It is in Lebanon that we will be judged. It is our war, these are our soldiers, and the immediate security of our inhabitants of the north is at stake,” continued Bezalel Smotrich.