Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the Lebanon agreement secures Israel’s continued military presence in southern Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed and the threat is removed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced before the Sabbath that negotiations in Washington between Israel, Lebanon and the United States had produced what he called a “major achievement” for the State of Israel.
According to Netanyahu, the central point of the agreement is that Israel will remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon for as long as Hezbollah is not disarmed and as long as the threat to Israel continues. He said this marks a major blow to Iran, which he accused of trying to pressure Israel into withdrawing from the area.
Netanyahu stressed that Iran, Hezbollah and all terrorist organizations have no role in Lebanon, and that the agreement allows the Lebanese Army to begin deploying in two pilot zones recommended by the IDF — one south of the Litani River and another north of it.