Israel said that it would only withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon after Hezbollah was disarmed, as the two countries engaged in U.S.-mediated talks in Washington.
“We will not withdraw our forces from southern Lebanon as long as Hezbollah remains a threat, are not disarmed and are not demilitarised,” David Mencer, a government spokesman, said in a briefing to journalists.
Asked about the Israel-Lebanon talks in Washington, Mencer said: “We are making extremely clear that our responsibility is to our northern citizens and to the whole of Israel, and we will not allow any terrorist force anywhere near our border — which means that any redeployment of IDF forces comes after, not before, but after the demilitarisation of southern Lebanon and the disarming of Hezbollah.”
“We’ve already been in this situation in 2024,” he added. “Hezbollah were supposed to be disarmed. They weren’t.”
– AFP
