Israel’s ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, says the IDF will remain in its security zone in Lebanon for as long as Hezbollah continues to possess weapons and threaten Israeli civilians
Leiter, who is leading Israel’s negotiating team in talks with Beirut, said the purpose of the agreement is to remove Iran and Hezbollah entirely from the equation. He stressed that Iran has no legitimate role in Lebanon and that Hezbollah must be removed both for Israel’s security and for Lebanon’s sovereignty.
“We can withdraw as soon as Hezbollah is disarmed,” Leiter said. “If Hezbollah is not disarmed, we will have to remain in our security zone because we are not going back to a situation in which our civilians are threatened by an Iranian proxy firing missiles and building tunnels to attack, as Hamas did on October 7.”
Leiter also rejected claims that Israel’s pilot withdrawal from southern Lebanon has been delayed. He said Israel is working with CENTCOM and the Lebanese Armed Forces to establish conditions allowing the Lebanese army to enter designated areas.