Prime Minister Netanyahu declared Friday that Israel will maintain its presence in the southern Lebanon security zone under the new trilateral framework deal signed with the U.S. and Lebanon. "Our security comes first," he said, as the agreement establishes two pilot areas for Lebanese army deployment while keeping IDF forces in place until Hezbollah is disarmed.
Prime Minister Netanyahu tonight formally stated that Israel will maintain its forces in the southern Lebanon security zone under the new trilateral framework agreement with the United States and Lebanon, signed earlier Friday. In a statement released by the Prime Minister's Office, Netanyahu said: "Israel remains in the security zone in southern Lebanon. Our security comes first." The agreement reportedly establishes two pilot areas for Lebanese army deployment — a mechanism intended to gradually expand state sovereignty — without requiring an IDF withdrawal until Hezbollah is verifiably disarmed.
This marks the most authoritative confirmation yet of the framework deal's core security provision — a stance The Zioneer has tracked since the initial trilateral talks. Earlier reports (Friday, 20:57 Jerusalem) had described the agreement’s outlines; tonight’s statement is the first direct on-record confirmation from the Prime Minister himself since the document was signed. The announcement follows a week in which Netanyahu and defense chiefs repeatedly insisted — in a joint call with Northern Command (June 23, 00:33) and at the JNS policy conference (June 21) — that the security zone was non-negotiable, even as international pressure and reported Iranian demands linked a withdrawal to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
The statement leaves open two key questions: the precise geographic boundaries of the pilot zones, and the timeline for Hezbollah disarmament verification. No further details have been released by the Prime Minister’s Office or the Defense Ministry.
4 developments
- DevelopingNetanyahu: Israeli forces are not leaving Lebanon
- StrongNetanyahu, defense chiefs reaffirm IDF will maintain security zone in southern Lebanon
- StrongNetanyahu: IDF controls nearly 70% of Gaza Strip; vows no withdrawal from Lebanon buffer zone
- DevelopingKatz: PM and I ordered IDF to prepare for extended stay in Lebanon security zone
Source and signal
- Internal intake