Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said Sunday at a cabinet meeting that he supports the agreement with Lebanon, expressing gratitude to the negotiating team led by Israel's U.S. Ambassador Yechiel Leiter. Sa'ar said the deal prevents a dangerous slide and legitimizes the IDF's continued presence in the southern Lebanon security zone, adding that Hezbollah is the obstacle for both countries.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar publicly endorsed the security agreement with Lebanon during a cabinet meeting on Sunday, lending his support to a deal that has drawn mixed reactions within the Israeli government. Sa'ar credited the negotiating team led by Ambassador Yechiel Leiter for the framework, saying the accord prevents a slide into dangerous escalation and provides international legitimacy for the IDF's continued deployment in the southern Lebanon security zone.
Sa'ar echoed Prime Minister Netanyahu's distinction between seeking peace with Lebanon and confronting Hezbollah, describing the Iran-backed militia as the primary obstacle for both countries. His remarks follow a series of cabinet-level statements on the deal — Smotrich expressed support last week, while Netanyahu has framed the agreement as a strategic blow to Iran.
The deal remains a subject of active debate: Lebanese officials and Hezbollah have welcomed the ceasefire but conditioned full normalization on Israeli withdrawal, while U.S. State Department backing has tied withdrawal to Hezbollah's disarmament. Sa'ar's backing from the security-conscious flank of the government may help consolidate coalition support as implementation proceeds.
2 developments
- StrongForeign Minister Sa'ar: Iran, not Israel, violates Lebanese sovereignty
- StrongNetanyahu, defense chiefs reaffirm IDF will maintain security zone in southern Lebanon
- DevelopingSmotrich backs Lebanon deal, in apparent shift
- StrongSenior official: IDF will stay in Lebanon security zone to protect north, destroy terror infrastructure
Source and signal
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