Israel does not intend to withdraw its troops from Lebanon and will continue operations against Hezbollah.
Modern.az reports that, according to sources in the Israeli government's "Ynet" publication, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated this in his conversation with US President Donald Trump.
According to the sources, Netanyahu does not consider the provisions of the agreement being prepared between the US and Iran regarding Lebanon to be binding for Israel. He stated that Israel will not accept any agreement that would limit its freedom of action against Hezbollah.
It should be recalled that when Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif announced that an interim peace agreement had been reached between the US and Iran, he stated that the parties had agreed to an immediate and complete cessation of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.
According to "Ynet", high-ranking Israeli officials called the provision regarding Lebanon a matter of principle for Israel.
"If we are asked to withdraw our troops from Lebanon, this will be one of the issues from which we will not retreat," one of the publication's interlocutors said.
One of the officials emphasized that Netanyahu firmly rejects Iran's demands in this direction, and the US administration also understands that Israel does not consider this topic a subject for discussion.
Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also stated that the US-Iran agreement does not create any legal obligations for Israel.
"Israel is not a party to this agreement. This agreement does not obligate Israel in any way," he said.
According to the minister, Israel should not settle for anything less than the complete disarmament of Hezbollah.
"We should not withdraw from any territory that our fighters have taken control of and cleared of terrorist infrastructure," Ben-Gvir emphasized.
He also noted that he thanked Donald Trump, but stated that Israel is not subordinate to the US:
"The State of Israel is not a banana republic and is not subordinate to anyone."
