Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday evening that the IDF will maintain an open-ended presence in security zones across Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza to protect Israeli communities from jihadist threats. Katz vowed not to compromise on Israel's supreme security interest or withdraw from the buffer areas, according to a statement reported by Army Radio (N13).
Defense Minister Israel Katz delivered a firm policy statement at the IDF Officer Course graduation ceremony on Thursday evening, reiterating that the military will maintain an indefinite presence in security buffer zones across Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza. 'The IDF will remain in the security zones in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza without a time limit, to defend our residents and communities from jihadist elements,' Katz said, according to Army Radio (N13) journalists Moriah Asraf and Doron Kadosh.
Katz's remarks came just minutes before the military's top brass also spoke at the same ceremony. Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir addressed a separate theme—the ongoing tensions over ultra-Orthodox conscription and the recently resolved crisis with hesder yeshivas—calling for cohesion: 'We need every soldier, every commander. This nation has no other army, and this army has no other nation.' The juxtaposition at the event underscored the IDF's twin challenges: maintaining operational readiness across multiple fronts while navigating internal societal rifts.
As The Zioneer reported on June 15, Katz had earlier communicated the same open-ended security-zone policy directly to President Trump and Secretary of Defense Hegseth, and warned Iran that any attack on Israel via Lebanon would draw a full-force response. Thursday's ceremony reaffirmed that position at a moment of public debate over withdrawal timelines.
2 developments
- StrongKatz: IDF will stay in Lebanon, Syria, Gaza security zones indefinitely, rejects withdrawal pressure
- StrongKatz warns Iran: Any attack on Israel over Lebanon will draw 'full-force' response
- DevelopingDefense Minister: Israel has no intention of withdrawing from Beaufort security zone in Lebanon
- StrongKatz: Netanyahu told Trump Israel won't withdraw from Lebanon, Syria, Gaza security zones
Source and signal
- Internal intake