Netanyahu says Israel will not leave Lebanon as long as Hezbollah remains a threat

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while visiting soldiers in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, stated that the military "will not leave" the area as long as the Iran-backed group Hezbollah remains a "threat" to Israel. A day earlier, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel would not withdraw "a millimetre" until Hezbollah is disarmed.

This stance directly contradicts the first clause of the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which provides for an immediate, permanent halt to fighting on "all fronts," including Lebanon, where Israeli forces have occupied about one-fifth of the country since early March. That provision has been undercut by a separate US-brokered framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon that does not require Israeli withdrawal and has been denounced by Hezbollah.

Analysts say Netanyahu is in a difficult position. With elections expected in October, he fears appearing weak by withdrawing. However, he also understands that US President Donald Trump wants to prevent the Israel-Hezbollah front from unraveling broader US-Iran talks. Cyrus Schayegh, a professor at the Geneva Graduate Institute, calls this a "lose-lose" for Netanyahu.

Tehran has repeatedly stated that Israel must fully withdraw from occupied Lebanese territory before it will consider any peace deal with the US. However, some analysts believe Iran may be flexible on Hezbollah's future role in Lebanon. The group was excluded from the framework negotiations, and its leader Naim Qassem rejected the deal as "humiliating, shameful and a surrender."

Washington's priority is the nuclear talks with Iran, not pressuring Hezbollah. Analyst Joe Macaron says the US does not want Hezbollah "under complete pressure" and may show more flexibility on Lebanon if progress is made on the nuclear file.