TEL AVIV: Israel’s defence minister says Israeli forces have been instructed to prepare for an “extended stay” in the so-called security zone the Israeli army occupies in southern Lebanon.
“The prime minister and I have instructed the [Israeli military] to prepare for an extended stay in the security zone”, Israel Katz said in a video statement, after Israel and Lebanon agreed to a US-brokered framework aimed at ending hostilities and handing over territory to the Lebanese army.
He added that “there will be no redeployment by Israel in southern Lebanon, no withdrawal, as long as the terrorist organisation Hezbollah is not disarmed throughout Lebanon”, describing it as “the important principle established in the agreement”.