Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that the U.S. did not demand that Israel withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon, a condition reportedly set by Tehran in its negotiations with Washington.

“We have stated that, under no circumstances, will we withdraw, and at present—and this is a diplomatic success—there is no American demand for Israel to withdraw from Lebanon,”Katz said in an interview on the sidelines of a meeting of local officials in Tel Aviv.

When asked about a possible withdrawal in the event of a hypothetical request from the U.S., he said that Benjamin Netanyahu had emphasized to Donald Trump—and he himself had emphasized to Pete Hegese, his American counterpart, that “we are here to protect the people of northern Israel.”

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In other remarks earlier today, the Israeli defense minister pledged that the Israeli armed forces would not withdraw from the security zone in southern Lebanon, “even if there is a U.S. request.”

As he emphasized, 200,000 Lebanese “will not return” to the homes from which they were displaced. “Because of what happened in the past in security zones, where there was also a civilian population, there were roadside bombs and attacks against soldiers, and therefore we will not allow this,” Katz emphasized at the Muni Expo conference organized for local officials in Tel Aviv.

“We are not withdrawing,” the Israeli minister declared.

Source: Protothema.gr