Defense Minister Israel Katz claimed that President Trump's demand to link the Iran and Lebanon arenas prevented Hezbollah's collapse.
Defense Minister Israel Katz on Monday presented his assessment of the situation on the northern front, along with an overview of Israel's other fronts, stating that Israel is working to shape a new security reality in Lebanon. Speaking about the northern campaign, Katz said that beyond the two pilot areas already established, there will be no further Israeli withdrawals.
"People should not hold their breath wondering where the next place Israel will withdraw from in Lebanon will be-because it will not happen until Hezbollah is disarmed. We have no territorial ambitions in Lebanon, but until Hezbollah lays down its weapons, we will not withdraw even one millimeter." Katz also referred to his meeting last Friday at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv with the commander of US Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper. "I agreed with him that the IDF will not withdraw from the three security zones-in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza."
According to Katz, Hezbollah entered the fighting in the north under heavy Iranian pressure and in an effort to establish a new strategic equation with Israel. "When President Trump linked Iran and Lebanon, we stopped bringing down buildings in Beirut. Linking the two arenas is an American interest, and those are the constraints of our partnership with the United States. Had Lebanon not been linked to Iran, Hezbollah would have collapsed. We therefore moved to Plan B-expanding the Yellow Line security zone in southern Lebanon."
Katz revealed that before the signing of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Trump held four telephone conversations. However, he said, the decisive shift came during a fifth call in which he did not participate. "I wasn't present for the fifth conversation, and the President applied pressure that ultimately resulted in linking the two arenas. From that moment on, civilians returned to southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah also reinforced its presence in the south." (Read More)
