Netanyahu: Israel will not withdraw troops from southern Lebanon
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israeli forces will not be withdrawn from southern Lebanon in the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, planned US-Iran talks in Switzerland collapsed, with reports suggesting Iranian demands regarding Lebanon were a factor.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ruled out the possibility of withdrawing Israeli troops from southern Lebanon anytime soon during a speech on Thursday. He described the security zone established by the Israeli military as a barrier between the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon and civilians in northern Israel. Netanyahu stated that Israel will not pull back its forces as long as its security needs require a military presence in southern Lebanon.
The Lebanese government considers the territory controlled by Israel in southern Lebanon to be illegally occupied. An agreement reached this week between the United States and Iran calls for a comprehensive end to military conflicts in the Middle East but does not explicitly demand the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon. Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shia militant group, is Iran's key regional ally.
On Friday morning, it emerged that planned talks between US and Iranian representatives in Switzerland had collapsed. Sources in the US government told Axios reporter that one possible reason was Iranian demands regarding the situation in Lebanon.
