A senior US official told reporters Monday evening that an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon is not a precondition for a US-Iran agreement, and that should Hezbollah attack, Israel retains the right to respond. The statement further distances Washington from linking the two dossiers, according to Amichai Stein (i24NEWS).
A senior US official clarified Monday evening that the emerging US-Iran agreement does not require an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon as a precondition, according to Amichai Stein (i24NEWS). The official also stated that if Hezbollah attacks Israel, Israel retains the right to respond — signaling that Washington does not view the Lebanon front as constraining Israeli self-defense under any potential Iran deal.
The statement is the clearest American pushback so far against Iranian demands to tie the two tracks. As The Zioneer has previously reported, Tehran's Foreign Minister Araghchi had conditioned the signing of a memorandum of understanding on an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, and earlier reports suggested the US was exploring a framework linking withdrawal to de-escalation.
The remark also follows a reported statement by a senior Israeli minister who insisted Israel would not accept an 'Iranian equation' on Lebanon even at the cost of a confrontation with Washington. The US official's language appears to narrow the gap between Jerusalem and Washington on this issue, though the precise terms of any eventual agreement remain unverified.
2 developments
- DevelopingVP Vance: Deal does not mandate Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, self-defense right retained
- DevelopingUS sources tell Lebanese network: Lebanon not part of Iran deal; no condition for IDF withdrawal
- StrongIsraeli source: Israel not obligated to sign US-Iran deal, retains self-defense right
- StrongIsrael insists no withdrawal from Lebanon under understandings with Iran
Source and signal
- Open-source intake