Israel tells Pentagon chief will keep troops in Lebanon, Syria, Gaza 'security zones'
Katz said the deployments are meant to shield border communities as Israel rejects U.S. pressure to pull back, with forces still inside zones in three areas.
- Early Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz told U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that Israel is determined to maintain its "security zones" inside Lebanon, Syria, and the Gaza Strip to protect its borders from jihadist threats.
- Reports from Axios suggest President Donald Trump recently urged Israel to withdraw forces from these buffer zones, though neither Washington nor Jerusalem has publicly confirmed the request.
- Israel currently controls 60 percent of the Gaza Strip and maintains a "security zone" extending roughly 10 kilometres into Lebanon, which officials claim prevents terrorist groups from re-establishing positions near Israeli communities.
- Hegseth updated Katz on U.S. strikes against Iranian infrastructure as regional tensions escalate, with Iran launching missiles at U.S. facilities in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan.
- Negotiations concluded a fifth round in Rome on Wednesday, with U.S.-brokered talks aiming to establish "pilot zones" to facilitate a steady withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon.
30 Articles
30 Articles
The US president is repeating his demand that Israel evacuate its so-called safe zones in southern Syria and southern Lebanon. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz says this will not happen. But it is uncertain whether the country is truly on the verge of defying the White House.
Katz Tells Hegseth That Israel Won’t Withdraw From Gaza, Syria, or Lebanon
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz told US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in a call on Thursday that Israel won't withdraw from Gaza, Syria, or Lebanon, according to a statement from the Israeli minister's office. According to The Jerusalem Post, Katz "emphasized Israel’s determination to remain in security zones in…
The Hebrew state wants its forces to remain deployed in "safe areas", explained the Minister of Defence.
The relationship between US President Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu is tense. Trump calls for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from neighbouring countries. Israel's Defense Minister Katz is resolutely opposed.
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