US official criticizes Katz's remarks on staying in Lebanon
The Trump administration has said that Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz’s comments that Israel will not withdraw from certain south Lebanon areas are inconsistent with a framework deal agreed to by Israel and Lebanon.
A U.S. State Department official reaffirmed that the U.S. “expects all parties to act in a manner consistent with the framework they agreed to,” which does not include a long-term or permanent Israeli presence in south Lebanon.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said a permanent Israeli “military presence in South Lebanon is not consistent with the commitments made in the framework or the long-term peace and security of both states.”
Earlier Wednesday Katz said Israel would not withdraw from a number of its current positions: “Under no circumstances do we retreat.”
The U.S. official reminded that Israel had clearly stated that it had no territorial ambitions in Lebanon, stressing that the United States "fully supports Lebanon's territorial integrity and sovereignty."
"The Framework clearly includes a conditions-based path for progressive redeployment tied to verified disarmament of Hezbollah and the dismantlement of their infrastructure. The Lebanese Armed Forces are implementing the first pilot zones, and the United States will continue to support full implementation of that process," the official said.
Katz said that the Israeli army “is here to stay in the security zones in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza to protect the entire State of Israel.”
“I have instructed the IDF (Israeli army) to take all the necessary steps to prepare for a long-term presence in the area. As the Prime Minister and I have made unequivocally clear, we are not withdrawing from this security zone," Katz added.
Source: Naharnet, Associated Press, Agence France Presse
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