Netanyahu says Israel will not leave Lebanon Benjamin Netanyahu News

Israel’s occupation of Lebanon and Syria will continue, the Prime Minister insists, despite US cooperation with Iran.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue Israel’s occupation of Lebanon and Syria, despite the announcement of a cease-fire agreement between the United States and Iran that supports the violence.

Netanyahu told a press conference on Monday that the Israeli army would remain in Lebanon, which occupies an area of ​​570sq km (220sq miles). Israel’s war with the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, has killed more than 3,000 people.

“We will be in the security zone in Lebanon for a long time,” Netanyahu told reporters.

According to unconfirmed reports, Lebanon will be covered in the agreement due to be signed by Iran and the US on Friday, and Netanyahu’s comments will add pressure to an already fragile ceasefire agreement.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif, who announced the deal on Sunday, said the memorandum of understanding would include “an immediate and complete cessation of hostilities on all sides, including in Lebanon”.

Israel has been involved in a war with Hezbollah since October 2023 and launched a cross-border offensive in October 2024. This later led to a full-scale attack on Lebanon, and Israel now occupies the area beyond the Litani river that runs through southern Lebanon – the last recognized area of ​​Israel’s “safe zone”.

Despite this, Netanyahu said that Israel will continue to target “Iranian terrorists” and “must continue to be vigilant” against Iran.

On Sunday, Israel carried out an attack in the suburbs of Beirut, killing three people – an attack that was seen as crossing Iran’s red lines regarding cooperation with the US.

The strike is said to have angered US President Donald Trump, who was worried it could derail progress on the ceasefire. But despite threats of retaliation by Tehran, a memorandum of understanding was signed on Sunday night.

Netanyahu has clashed with Trump behind closed doors, according to reports, as he is criticized by Israel’s right-wing critics for failing to prevent the US-Iran deal from exiting.

Hard-line Israelis worry that the end of the war with Iran will force the end of the country in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza, where Israel occupies about 1,000sq km (386sq miles) of territory.

At the press conference, Netanyahu said that he always “doesn’t see eye to eye” with Trump and said that Israel’s war with Iran won the whole world.

“Most of the time we see eye to eye, and there are also situations where we don’t see eye to eye. I am in charge of Israel’s security. I represent them,” he told The Jerusalem Post.

“Iran will never have nuclear weapons, not today or tomorrow…

Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed earlier on Monday that Israel would not withdraw from the occupied territories from 2023.

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I are following a clear plan to keep the Israeli army in security zones in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, without setting a time limit, to protect the borders and villages of Israel from jihadist elements,” he said. “We oppose the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Lebanon, despite all the current and future challenges.”