A US official told Reuters that an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon is not a condition of the emerging US-Iran framework, and that Israel retains the right to defend itself against any future Hezbollah attack, according to a single source.
A senior US official clarified to Reuters Monday evening that an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon is not a precondition for the emerging US-Iran agreement, and that Israel retains its right to self-defense against any future Hezbollah attack.
The statement represents the latest and most directly-sourced clarification from Washington on the linkage between the two dossiers.
As The Zioneer has reported throughout Monday evening, the White House and a separate senior US official have been signaling the same position since 19:05 Jerusalem — first via the White House briefing, then through a senior official speaking to i24NEWS's Amichai Stein. This Reuters-sourced statement adds a named wire service to the corroboration chain, solidifying that the US position is consistent across multiple channels.
Hours earlier, at 09:21, The Zioneer reported that the Lebanon clause remained a source of uncertainty — with neither party publishing full terms and with conflicting Iranian leaks about a permanent ceasefire. Tonight's clarifications from Washington, repeated by three distinct official sources within 14 minutes, address that uncertainty by expressly decoupling the withdrawal demand from the Iran deal.
It remains unconfirmed whether the agreement includes any timeline for a future Israeli withdrawal coordinated with a final US-Iran-Lebanon framework, as separate weekend reports suggested. The official did not discuss the fate of Hezbollah prisoners or other reported elements of the emerging deal.
2 developments
- StrongIsraeli source: Israel not obligated to sign US-Iran deal, retains self-defense right
- StrongIsrael insists no withdrawal from Lebanon under understandings with Iran
- DevelopingSenior US official: Israel won't be asked to leave Lebanon until final Iran-Lebanon deal — at least 60 days
- DevelopingSenior US official: no country will waive self-defense right due to Iran deal
Source and signal
- Internal intake