“We are not a party to this agreement. It does not protect our security,” writes Itamar Ben-Gvir, Minister of Homeland Security, on social media, further proclaiming that Israel is not subject to the United States.
Ben-Gvir writes that Israeli forces should not be withdrawn from Lebanon. His reaction was the first from the Israeli government. Defense Minister Israel Katz shortly thereafter announced that Israeli military forces would remain in southern Lebanon indefinitely.
On Monday morning, an Israeli drone attacked a car in southern Lebanon, Lebanese media reported. Artillery also struck several communities. The Israeli military said earlier in the night that it had shot down a drone that had come from Lebanon.
“Staying”
In recent months, Israel’s ground operations in the neighboring country to the north have escalated step by step within a unilaterally proclaimed “security zone”, which is intended to keep the Shiite militia Hezbollah at bay.
According to the US and Iran, Lebanon is explicitly included in the new agreement. Israel has objected to Lebanon being included in previous ceasefire agreements, which the parties had not clearly agreed to at the time.
According to a report in the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear to US President Donald Trump that Israeli forces will hold their positions in southern Lebanon and act against Hezbollah when necessary.
The Israeli opposition leader condemned the US deal with Iran as devastating to Israel’s security.
Trump was angry
On Sunday evening, Trump wrote on social media that “Israel should not carry out any more attacks anywhere in Lebanon,” but added that Hezbollah or other groups should not attack Israel either.
Trump had then come down hard on Israel’s leadership after an Israeli attack again targeted an area in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
“It was so bad. I couldn’t believe it, an hour before we were supposed to sign the agreement,” the US president said, adding that he was pissed off at Benjamin Netanyahu:
“I let him know. He has no fucking judgment.”
