Defiant Netanyahu refuses to pull troops out of Lebanon despite Iran peace deal

A defiant Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that his troops will not withdraw from southern Lebanon despite the US-Iran peace deal demanding the Jewish state do so.Netanyahu insisted that the Israel Defense Forces must remain in southern Lebanon to fight Hezbollah, with the IDF publishing a new map showing an expanded zone of occupation that may threaten the peace deal.“We will restore security and prosperity to northern towns,” Netanyahu told reporters.

“That requires maintaining the security zone in southern Lebanon.” “It requires that we not leave there, as long as Israel’s security needs require it,” he added.The new map of the IDF’s operations shows Israel’s forces deployed more than 6 miles across the border, including sections north of the Litani River.“IDF forces have established themselves in their area of operations in southern Lebanon and continue to operate to remove threats and improve protection for residents of the north,” the military said in a statement.

Israel is currently engaged in “stubborn negotiations” with the US regarding its military action in Lebanon and expanded occupation, sources close to Netanyahu told Reuters.The IDF’s actions stand in opposition to the terms laid out in the US-Iran memorandum of understanding that President Trump signed yesterday.The deal states that both the US and Iran, along with their allies, would respect Lebanon’s territory and sovereignty, as well end all hostilities in the country.

Iranian officials have reiterated that a failure to end the fighting and Israeli presence in Lebanon would be a violation of the cease-fire and kill the peace deal.The terms have caused friction between Trump and Netanyahu as Israel and Hezbollah continue to trade blows in southern Lebanon, with the Iran-backed terror group firing explosive drones that killed and injured troops earlier this week.

With Post wires...