Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich rejected any IDF withdrawal from southern Lebanon ahead of the expected Friday signing of a US-Iran memorandum of understanding, saying Israel will stay in the area 'for as many years as necessary.' Smotrich described the emerging US-Iran deal as 'bad' and acknowledged 'real disagreements' with Washington.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Wednesday publicly acknowledged a deepening rift with the United States over the emerging U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding, calling the deal 'bad' and stating flatly that Israel would not withdraw from southern Lebanon — 'not by Friday and not after Friday.' His remarks, delivered in a televised interview, come as the signing of the U.S.-Iran MOU remains scheduled for Friday. Smotrich described the disagreements with Washington as 'real' but argued that Israel must manage the crisis without breaking the alliance.
The statement is the latest and sharpest in a series of public rejections of a withdrawal from a senior coalition figure. On Tuesday evening, Smotrich first ruled out a withdrawal during the 'Patriots' program, as The Zioneer reported. By then, the story had already been building: on Monday, The Zioneer reported that Prime Minister Netanyahu had told the White House that Israel is not bound by the Lebanon clause in the emerging framework. Later Monday, Iran's Foreign Minister Araghchi released details of the draft MOU, demanding full IDF withdrawal by Friday. On Tuesday, a Saudi report tied the nuclear deal's finalization to a full Israeli pullout. A U.S. official subsequently clarified that Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon is not a condition for the Iran deal, as The Zioneer reported on Monday.
As The Zioneer reported on Sunday, Netanyahu had already informed President Trump that Israel is not bound by the Lebanon clause. The widening public rift has no immediate resolution. The Friday signing remains scheduled, but Israeli senior officials have yet to issue a unified response, and the IDF has continued operations in southern Lebanon.
What remains open is whether the Friday signing will proceed as planned given the public rejection by a senior Israeli minister, and whether the Trump administration will address the gap between its own stated position — that the withdrawal is not a condition — and Iran's insistence that it is.
3 developments
- DevelopingDeputy Minister Almog Cohen: US-Iran MOU 'a bad deal,' Israel will stay in southern Lebanon
- StrongIsrael's US envoy: No withdrawal from southern Lebanon under Iran deal
- DevelopingSmotrich backs Lebanon deal, in apparent shift
- StrongIsrael will not leave Lebanon but won't strike if ceasefire holds, sources say
Source and signal
- Internal intake