Israel vowed on Monday it will continue rooting out Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon and said it will hit Tehran with “all our might” if the clerical regime attacks – just hours after President Trump announced a deal to end the three-month-old war had been reached.
Defense Minister Israel Katz refused to say when Israeli forces would leave Lebanon, citing the security threats that terror cells pose to the Jewish State, and politicians across the spectrum have blasted Trump’s agreement.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I are leading a clear policy that determines that the IDF will remain in the security zones in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza, without any time limit, to protect the border and Israeli communities from there against jihadist elements,” he said, as reported by Ynet.
Katz said such zones would be “cleared of .. all terror infrastructure, above and below ground, including the houses in the contact-line villages that served as terror outposts, will be destroyed.
Katz described the seizure of Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon as “one of the IDF’s greatest achievements in the War of Rebirth under the decisions and direction of the political echelon.”
“We will not compromise on Israel’s security interests and the protection of our citizens, and we will not withdraw from the security zones,” he added.
Katz also warned “if Iran attacks Israel due to events in Lebanon, we will attack it with all our might.”
Politicians across Israel have condemned the Trump-backed peace plan.
The agreement has not been seen publicly, but the White House on Friday described to reporters five points that are in the deal:
Benny Gantz, a former IDF chief, labeled the deal as a “strategic failure” while Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel’s national security minister, blasted, “We are not partners to this agreement, which does not safeguard our security.”
“Israel is not subordinate to the United States. We are an independent and sovereign country,” Ben Gvir fumed.
“We must not withdraw from any territory [in Lebanon] that our fighters have captured.”
Left-wing politician Yair Golan described news of the deal as a “tough morning for Israel.”
“In one signature stroke, immense military achievements secured with the courage of our pilots and the blood of our fighters have been erased, while Netanyahu stood on the sidelines—weak, ill, isolated, and powerless,” he wrote on X.
Golan claimed the deal “throws a lifeline to the murderous regime in Tehran” but Trump has said the agreement will bring peace and security to the Middle East.
The memorandum of understanding is set to be signed in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday – and Iran’s deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi warned the regime will not begin implementing it until then.
Iran is framing the deal as an American surrender – with the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters claiming it as a victory for the Islamic Republic, according to the semi-official Tasnim News Agency.
Broader negotiations on outstanding issues like Iran’s nuclear program would continue over the next 60 days, two senior Pakistani officials said earlier Sunday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
With Post wires.
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