‘Don’t Need Approval To Stay’: Israel Rejects Trump’s Claim That Its Troops Will Leave Lebanon
‘Don’t Need Approval To Stay’: Israel Rejects Trump’s Claim That Its Troops Will Leave Lebanon Published By, Last Updated: July 09, 2026, 15:25 IST Israel’s
‘Don’t Need Approval To Stay’: Israel Rejects Trump’s Claim That Its Troops Will Leave Lebanon Published By, Last Updated: July 09, 2026, 15:25 IST Israel’s defence minister rejected Trump’s assertion that its troops would leave southern Lebanon, saying they will remain in the security zone until Hezbollah is disarmed. Rapid Read Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz. (Image: Reuters) Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz has rejected US President Donald Trump’s assertion that Israeli troops will withdraw from southern Lebanon, making it clear that Israel does not need anyone’s approval to remain in the territory. “We didn’t ask for anyone’s approval to enter Lebanon and we don’t need approval to stay in Lebanon," Katz said in a statement. “It is our right and duty to defend the residents of the Galilee and Israeli citizens from the threats." Katz said Israel’s position remained unchanged and that troops would continue operating from what Israel describes as a security zone in southern Lebanon. “As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I have clarified, we will continue to stay in the security zone in Lebanon and to act from it as needed until Hezbollah is disarmed in all of Lebanon and the threat to the residents of the north is removed," Katz said.
What Trump Said His remarks came after Trump said on Wednesday that he believed Israel would withdraw from southern Lebanon because it wanted to take that step, despite Israeli leaders publicly indicating otherwise. Speaking to reporters at the NATO Summit in Ankara, Trump said he had discussed a withdrawal with Netanyahu. “Yeah, I think they’re going to. I think they want to," Trump said. “So we have a deal with Israel and Lebanon. Yeah, they’ll leave. And I think it’s going to work out very well." Netanyahu’s Stand Netanyahu, however, had visited Lebanese territory occupied by the Israeli military last month, telling soldiers that “Israel would not withdraw from the country’s south as long as Iran-backed Hezbollah continued to pose a threat." What The US-Brokered Deal Says The latest disagreement comes days after Israel and Lebanon reached a US-mediated security agreement on June 26, under which Israel agreed to hand over two areas to the Lebanese army. The deal was framed by all sides as only a first step, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying the US would help implement the deal through a trilateral “Military Coordination Group for Lebanon" and would commit significant resources, including an immediate $100 million in humanitarian assistance in coordination with the UN.
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