Katz Vows Israel Will Not Leave Lebanon Security Zone; US Pushes Back

“The IDF is here to stay in the security zones in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza to protect the entire State of Israel,” Katz said.

By United with Israel Staff

The Trump administration pushed back against Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday night after he declared that Israeli troops would remain in southern Lebanon’s security zone for the long term, with a U.S. official saying such a permanent presence would contradict commitments made by Israel under its agreement with Washington and Beirut.

The criticism, reported by Axios journalist Barak Ravid, came hours after Katz visited IDF forces in southern Lebanon and vowed that Israel would not withdraw from the security zone.

Standing near the Beaufort ridge, Katz said Israel’s continued military presence was necessary to prevent Hezbollah from again positioning forces and infrastructure close enough to threaten northern Israeli communities.

“Here we see the Beaufort ridge after the tunnels there were destroyed,” Katz said. “The IDF carried out a maneuver here across the Litani in a heroic operation and with tremendous skill, defeated Hezbollah and took the Beaufort, which protects Metula, the northern communities and IDF soldiers, and threatens all of Hezbollah’s areas on the horizon.”

Katz said he had instructed the IDF to prepare for a long-term presence in the security zones Israel currently controls.

“The IDF is here to stay in the security zones in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza to protect the entire State of Israel,” Katz said. “I have instructed the IDF to take all the necessary steps to prepare for a long-term presence in the area.”

“As the Prime Minister and I have made unequivocally clear, we are not withdrawing from this security zone,” he added.

Katz tied the policy directly to the lessons of the October 7 massacre, arguing that Israeli forces must remain positioned to prevent cross-border attacks on Israeli communities.

“The lesson of October 7 is that we protect the residents by having the IDF here in these places, protecting them from raids, from fire and from everything else,” he said. “This is our policy. This is our concept.”

He pointed to the Beaufort fortress as an example of the protection the security zone provides to northern Israel.

“We are above. They are below. The residents are protected. The IDF is inside. Two hundred thousand residents are outside,” Katz said.

He added that Israeli forces were destroying underground infrastructure built by Hezbollah for a potential invasion of the Galilee and would continue preventing jihadist groups from threatening Israel’s borders.

The Trump administration responded later Wednesday, rejecting the prospect of a permanent Israeli military presence in southern Lebanon.

“The United States expects all parties to act in a manner consistent with the framework they agreed to, and Israel clearly stated that it has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon,” a State Department official said.

“A permanent military presence in South Lebanon is not consistent with the commitments made in the framework or the long-term peace and security of both states,” the official said.

The official added that the United States “fully supports Lebanon’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.”

Washington nevertheless stressed that Israeli withdrawals under the agreement are conditional on Hezbollah being disarmed and its military infrastructure dismantled.

“The Framework clearly includes a conditions-based path for progressive redeployment tied to verified disarmament of Hezbollah and the dismantlement of their infrastructure,” the official said. “The Lebanese Armed Forces are implementing the first pilot zones, and the United States will continue to support full implementation of that process.”

The comments highlight a disagreement over Israel’s eventual military presence in southern Lebanon. The U.S. framework calls for gradual Israeli redeployments following the verified disarmament of Hezbollah, while Katz said Israel intends to maintain the security zones to protect its border communities.

The dispute comes as the United States continues efforts to advance the agreement between Israel and Lebanon while Hezbollah’s disarmament and the future deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces remain central issues.