Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Monday that the Israeli army will remain in the areas it occupied in southern Lebanon as well as in Syria, and Gaza despite a peace agreement between the US and Iran, Anadolu Agency reports. Israel opposes the withdrawal of its forces from Lebanon “despite all current and future pressures,” he said in a statement. He added that areas occupied by Israel in southern Lebanon would be “cleared” of the local population. Katz also claimed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had made this position clear to US President Donald Trump and other senior American officials. “I also clearly conveyed this to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth,” Katz added. READ: Iran-US deal ‘bad for Israel,’ says […]
This article was sourced from Middle East Monitor.
Read Full Article on Middle East Monitor →![Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz (L) visits a military base and the military unit in the occupied territory of southern Lebanon on April 12, 2026. [Elad Malka (IMoD)/Handout - Anadolu Agency]](https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/AA-20260412-41091454-41091451-ISRAELI_DEFENSE_MINISTER_YISRAEL_KATZ.jpg)
