Defense Minister Israel Katz directly rejected President Donald Trump's suggestion that Israel is preparing to withdraw from Lebanon, saying the IDF will remain in its security zone until Hezbollah is disarmed nationwide. 'We didn't ask for anyone's approval to enter Lebanon, and we don't need approval to stay,' Katz said.
Defense Minister Israel Katz explicitly rejected President Donald Trump's suggestion of an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon on Thursday morning, vowing the IDF will remain in its security zone until Hezbollah is disarmed nationwide. The statement came less than an hour after Katz's earlier remarks at 08:58 Jerusalem, in which he detailed the establishment of a security zone in southern Lebanon and insisted Israel did not seek permission to enter or stay. In the latest comments, Katz said directly: "We didn't ask for anyone's approval to enter Lebanon, and we don't need approval to stay in Lebanon."
The thread of Katz's statements this morning began at 08:58 Jerusalem, when he first said Israel did not seek permission to enter or remain. Within the same hour, he issued a direct response to Trump's reported assertion that Israel would withdraw, and then detailed the security zone establishment. The latest version adds the explicit rejection of Trump's suggestion. Katz's stance has been consistent: as The Zioneer reported on Jun 29, Katz said the IDF would not withdraw "a millimeter" from Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed.
The broader context includes Katz's repeated statements over the past month that the IDF will maintain an open-ended presence in security zones across Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza, citing the lessons of October 7. He has also noted that Prime Minister Netanyahu communicated this position directly to President Trump on Jun 15. Katz previously said on Jun 30 that Trump blocked a full-scale Israeli offensive against Hezbollah, forcing scaled-back plans.
It remains unclear how the Trump administration will respond to Katz's explicit rejection. The White House has not yet commented on the latest statement.
6 developments
- DevelopingDefense Minister Katz: No US demand to withdraw from Lebanon
- DevelopingDefense Minister Katz: 'We will not leave a situation where our soldiers are harmed unilaterally'
- StrongKatz: Trump blocked a full-scale Israeli offensive to destroy Hezbollah
- ConfirmedKatz: IDF will not withdraw 'a millimeter' from Lebanon until Hezbollah disarmed
Source and signal
- Internal intake