Iran is asserting that the emerging US-Iran agreement requires a complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, according to an Iranian source. Israel has firmly rejected the claim, with Israeli officials stressing that the IDF will remain in the field. The dispute threatens to derail the framework before it is finalized.
Iran is claiming that the emerging memorandum of understanding with the United States includes a clause requiring a full Israeli military withdrawal from Lebanese territory. The assertion, from an Iranian source, was met with a flat denial from Israeli officials, who reiterated that the IDF will not withdraw from its positions in southern Lebanon.
This is the latest exchange in a fast-moving diplomatic standoff that has unfolded over the past several days. On Tuesday, Iran's Foreign Ministry told the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Akhbar newspaper that the deal requires an Israeli pullout, warning failure would void the agreement. The IDF responded the same day by publishing an updated security-zone map of southern Lebanon, signaling no intent to withdraw. By Wednesday evening, Hezbollah's Naim Qassem publicly rejected any Israeli military presence in 'red zones,' as reports emerged that electronic signing of the MOU could come within hours.
No party has published the full text of the agreement. A central point of uncertainty remains the Lebanon clause — whether a ceasefire there is permanent, and whether any Israeli withdrawal is full, partial, or conditioned on security arrangements including freedom of action against threats south of the Litani River, as reported this week by N13/Army Radio. The current exchange, reported by a single Iranian source, has not been independently corroborated. Israeli officials have not elaborated on what specific terms they reject or accept.
2 developments
- DevelopingUS sources tell Lebanese network: Lebanon not part of Iran deal; no condition for IDF withdrawal
- StrongIran conditions war-ending deal on Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon
- DevelopingNo official confirmation released on reported US-Iran deal terms for Lebanon
- StrongIsrael insists no withdrawal from Lebanon under understandings with Iran
Source and signal
- Internal intake