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Katz vows long-term presence
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz visited Lebanon on Wednesday and said, “the IDF is here to stay in the security zones in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza,” adding that he “instructed the IDF to take all necessary steps to prepare for a long-term presence in the area.”
“the IDF is here to stay in the security zones in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza”
Katz tied the stance to what he described as the IDF’s operations around the Beaufort Ridge, saying, “The IDF maneuvered here across the Litani” and “defeated Hezbollah and captured the Beaufort.”
He also insisted, “we are not withdrawing from this security zone,” describing his position “from the western coastline to the Beaufort area and the approaches to Mount Hermon in the east.”
The remarks came as a U.S. State Department official said Washington “expects all parties to act in any manner consistent with the framework they agreed to,” and that Israel “clearly stated that it has no territorial ambition in Lebanon.”
US rebuke and framework dispute
The U.S. official said “A permanent military presence in south Lebanon is not consistent with the commitments made in the framework,” and added that the United States “fully supports Lebanon’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.”
In the same account of Katz’s visit, the official said the framework “clearly provides for a phased redeployment tied to the verified disarmament of Hezbollah and dismantling of its infrastructure.”
Katz’s comments were accompanied by senior IDF figures including IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai; Northern Command chief Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo; and 36th Division commander Brig. Gen. Yiftah Norkin, according to the report.
The visit also included a briefing from commanders on “the operational preparations required ahead of the expected campaign against Hezbollah,” as described by the IDF spokesperson in the same coverage.
Strikes continue despite truce
While Katz argued for a long-term security footprint, Asharq Al-Awsat reported that Israeli twin strikes on southern Lebanon killed one person on Tuesday and damaged an ambulance, with Lebanon’s health ministry condemning the “continued targeting” of rescuers.
“damaged an ambulance”
The report said the strike targeted a vehicle in Nabatieh, and that the health ministry reported two wounded before later stating that “one person succumbed to their wounds.”
It added that the ministry said the Israeli military struck again when rescuers from the Risala Scouts Association came to the scene, damaging the ambulance, and that Lebanon’s civil defense said its personnel were targeted by a drone strike while trying to extinguish a bushfire in the Nabatieh area.
Asharq Al-Awsat also framed the incident as occurring despite an ongoing truce between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, and it noted that Hezbollah rejects the Lebanon-Israel deal and refuses to disarm.
