Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared Wednesday night that Israel will not withdraw from southern Lebanon, directly countering reports of a Friday ceasefire deadline. Speaking on the 'Patriots' program, Smotrich stated: 'There will be no withdrawal from southern Lebanon by Friday — and not after Friday.' The statement escalates a public coalition rift over a potential US-mediated deal that reportedly includes a 60-day withdrawal timeline tied to Iran negotiations.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich issued a categorical rejection of an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon on Wednesday night, going further than his previous statements. In an interview on the 'Patriots' program, Smotrich declared: 'There will be no withdrawal from southern Lebanon by Friday — and not after Friday.' The remark directly contradicts reports that a ceasefire in Lebanon is set to begin Friday, as stated Tuesday by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and pushes back against the emerging framework that ties an Israeli pullout to a 60-day US-Iran negotiation timeline.
Smotrich's statement comes a day after he told the same program that Israel 'will not withdraw from Lebanon,' and follows a series of coalition statements hardening the line. As The Zioneer reported Tuesday evening, Smotrich's initial rejection was one of the firmest public refusals by a senior coalition figure. On Monday, Israeli sources told The Jerusalem Post that the IDF will not withdraw but will refrain from striking if the ceasefire holds — a position Smotrich's latest remarks appear to reject entirely.
The widening coalition dispute over the Lebanon front now pits Smotrich and other right-wing figures against a reported US-mediated framework that Israeli officials have not formally confirmed. Prime Minister Netanyahu has not addressed the reported Lebanon clauses of the emerging Iran deal. The claim of a Friday ceasefire remains unverified by independent sources and has not been confirmed by Israeli officials.
2 developments
- StrongIsrael will not leave Lebanon but won't strike if ceasefire holds, sources say
- DevelopingSmotrich backs Lebanon deal, in apparent shift
- DevelopingSenior US official: Israel won't be asked to leave Lebanon until final Iran-Lebanon deal — at least 60 days
- StrongIsrael's US envoy: No withdrawal from southern Lebanon under Iran deal
Source and signal
- Internal intake