Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, reportedly rejected a clause in the newly agreed peace deal between the United States and Iran that required Tel Aviv’s defence forces to withdraw from Lebanon.
According to Israeli news outlet Maariv, Netanyahu left a Sunday cabinet meeting to speak with Trump, who told him about the upcoming signing of the peace agreement scheduled for Friday in Switzerland. However, Netanyahu claimed to not consider Israel to be bound by the Lebanese clause in the deal.
“IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) will not withdraw from Lebanon, will remain in the positions it currently occupies, and will continue to act to thwart the threat from Hezbollah- including destroying terrorist infrastructure and responding to any attack against Israel,” said Netanyahu, according to the outlet.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz also said on Monday that the IDF would remain in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza indefinitely, hours after Trump made the announcement.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I are pursuing a clear policy under which the IDF will remain in the security zones in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza for an unlimited period of time, in order to protect the border and Israeli communities from there against jihadist elements,” Katz said in a statement.
Israel had struck Lebanon’s capital Beirut hours before the declaration of the peace deal, which led to complications in negotiations between the United States and Iran.
Trump expressed his disapproval and slammed Netanyahu for potentially endangering the agreement.
He told reporters, “It is so bad — I couldn’t believe it. An hour before we are supposed to sign the deal. Why did Bibi have to do a fucking attack? I was so pissed off. I let him know. He has no fucking judgement. I let him know that.”
Despite a truce between Tel Aviv and Beirut brokered by Trump, both Israel and Hezbollah have continued to violate the ceasefire and exchange strikes. Iran also insisted that any peace agreement would require a permanent halt in military aggressions against Lebanon.
Trump has been vocal in his criticism of Israel’s recent onslaught against Lebanon, giving rise to speculations of a rift between the two leaders.
