Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz declared on Wednesday that Israeli troops will remain in southern Lebanon regardless of American pressure, a stance that is adding significant friction to broader diplomatic efforts to establish a lasting peace in the Middle East. Speaking at an event in Tel Aviv, Katz stated plainly: "The IDF is prepared … and we are not retreating. We announced that in any case we are not withdrawing." His remarks echoed recent statements by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has made similar declarations on an almost daily basis.
Israeli forces entered Lebanon after Hezbollah — the Iranian-backed militant movement based in the country's south — launched rockets at Israel on 2 March in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Since then, Israeli strikes have killed more than 4,200 people in Lebanon, while Hezbollah attacks have killed at least 36 Israeli soldiers and three Israeli civilians inside Lebanon. Israel has occupied large parts of southern Lebanon, which it describes as a "security zone" designed to prevent Hezbollah from threatening northern Israel. A US-mediated ceasefire reached last Saturday has halted most major fighting, though Israeli drone strikes continued on Wednesday, killing two people near the city of Nabatieh, according to Lebanese health authorities.
The Israeli position is creating a serious complication for the wider diplomatic picture. The United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding last week, establishing a fragile ceasefire and opening a 60-day window for permanent peace negotiations. Iran has made clear it views an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon as inseparable from any broader deal. "For us, a ceasefire in Lebanon is as important as a ceasefire in Iran," said Iran's parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. Washington-brokered talks between Israel and Lebanon are ongoing, with Israel proposing a phased handover of occupied territory to the Lebanese army, which would be trained and vetted by the US to ensure it keeps Hezbollah at bay. Hezbollah is not part of those talks, raising questions about their long-term viability.
Despite the firm public declarations from Israeli leadership, there are signs of nuance on the ground. Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon report that their operational freedom is in practice already restricted — they are permitted to respond to direct Hezbollah threats but are no longer authorised to carry out pre-emptive strikes on, for example, rocket launch sites. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio continued a three-day tour of Gulf Arab states — including the UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain — seeking to reassure regional allies that the Iran deal does not amount to an excessive concession to Tehran. Those countries sustained significant civilian and economic damage from Iranian strikes during the four-month war and remain wary of any arrangement that could allow Iran to rebuild its military capacity or reassert control over the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway through which much of the world's oil is shipped.