Israeli Foreign Minister Rabbi Eliyahu Cohen said Friday that the territory Israel seized in southern Lebanon is intended to defend northern communities, and told the US that the issue of withdrawal is not open for negotiation. The statement was reported by i24NEWS.
Foreign Minister Rabbi Eliyahu Cohen said on Friday that the territory the IDF seized in southern Lebanon is a defensive buffer intended to protect northern Israeli communities, and that Israel has made clear to the United States that the question of withdrawal from the territory is not open for negotiation, according to a report by i24NEWS. The statement sharpens Israel's position a day after a flurry of conflicting reports on the status of the security zone.
The thread began rapidly unfolding on Thursday, Jun 25: At 11:53 Jerusalem, Reuters first cited a US official saying Israel had withdrawn from parts of the security zone (version 1). Within minutes, the report was confirmed by a second Reuters story at 11:53 citing unnamed officials (version 2), and by 11:53 a US official was quoted saying the Lebanese army would deploy in vacated areas (version 3). All initial reports were attributed to anonymous sources. By 11:53, Energy Minister Eli Cohen explicitly denied any withdrawal and rejected potential US pressure (version 8). Between those poles, at 11:53 an Israeli official confirmed the withdrawal as a 'goodwill gesture' toward Beirut (version 6), and both Israel and Lebanon officially denied the US claim of a goodwill withdrawal (version 7). The official denial from Israel was consistent with the version 8 denial by Energy Minister Cohen.
Cohen's Friday remarks come against a backdrop of ongoing hostilities despite the declared ceasefire. As The Zioneer reported on June 22, a senior official stated the IDF would remain in the security zone to protect northern communities and destroy terror infrastructure. Background reports from earlier this month indicate continued Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon and casualties reported by the Lebanese Health Ministry, though figures are not independently verified.
The U.S. has been mediating between Israel and Lebanon in talks that opened in Washington last week. No breakthrough has been reported. As of Friday afternoon, the IDF has not issued a formal statement on the status of the security zone, and the discrepancy between the Thursday US-sourced reports of a withdrawal and the Israeli denial, now amplified by Foreign Minister Cohen, remains unresolved.
8 developments
- StrongEnergy Minister Eli Cohen: Israel must reject any US dictate to withdraw from Lebanon
- DevelopingDefense Minister Katz: No US demand to withdraw from Lebanon
- ConfirmedFM Saar tells New Zealand: Israel has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon
- StrongIsrael's US envoy: No withdrawal from southern Lebanon under Iran deal
Source and signal
- Internal intake