Israel has insisted that the United States has made no demand for it to withdraw its troops from Lebanon, as a fifth round of US-mediated talks with Beirut continued in Washington.
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz told a conference in Tel Aviv on June 24 that there was “no American demand for Israel to withdraw from Lebanon”, a position he described as a diplomatic achievement.
Katz said Israeli forces would not pull back from the south of the country under any circumstances, even if Washington were to demand it. He said the troops were there to protect residents of northern Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking at the same event, listed what he called the achievements of Israel’s campaigns in Lebanon, Gaza, the West Bank and Syria.
He insisted he did not seek US approval for military operations, pointing to last year’s campaign against Iran. “When I came to President Trump before Operation Rising Lion, I did not ask for permission. I simply informed him of our plan,” Netanyahu said.
The remarks came as Israeli and Lebanese delegations met at the US State Department for the fifth round of negotiations since March. The talks have focused on creating pilot zones in southern Lebanon from which Israeli forces would withdraw to let the Lebanese army deploy.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio, speaking in Kuwait, said Israel had no territorial claims in Lebanon and that its presence was a response to attacks by the Iran-backed group Hezbollah. “The only reason Israel is in Lebanon is because Hezbollah launches rockets and drones from there,” he said.
Rubio said the more territory Lebanese forces secured from Hezbollah, the smaller Israel’s presence would become, an assessment at odds with the Israeli Government’s stated refusal to pull back.
The talks have unfolded against warnings from Tehran that Israeli operations in Lebanon breach a memorandum of understanding signed with Washington and could derail wider regional peace efforts. The dispute has produced repeated public friction between the two allies.
Israeli strikes have killed at least 4,200 people, including 135 health workers, and wounded more than 12,000 since fighting with Hezbollah resumed in early March, according to the Lebanese health ministry.
