Netanyahu vows Israel to stay in Lebanon buffer zone despite US-Iran deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that occupation forces will maintain their presence across southern Lebanon indefinitely despite a memorandum of understanding reached between Washington and Tehran, insisting that Israel would not abandon its "security zones" in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.

'Security zones' to remain

Speaking at a press conference in Jerusalem, Netanyahu stated that Israel had established "strengthened security zones" around the country to ensure protection. "We have established strengthened security zones around Israel. We did this in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, and we will remain in these security zones as long as necessary to protect our country," he said.

The Israeli premier claimed that Iran had specifically demanded an Israeli withdrawal from those areas during negotiations, but "that did not happen." "Regarding Lebanon, we established a buffer zone, a security zone, and we will remain there for as long as necessary," he added, noting that he believed "our American friends respect that."

Uncertainty over deal terms

Netanyahu acknowledged that Jerusalem remained unaware of the precise terms contained within the Washington-Tehran memorandum. "We do not yet know what the agreement between Washington and Tehran will look like," he told reporters.

The Israeli leader also sought to clarify the objectives of the ongoing military campaign, stating that regime change had not been an explicit goal. "I did not say that one of the goals of the operation was to overthrow the regime," he said, alleging that the objective was instead "to create conditions" that could lead to its ouster.

Agreement set for Swiss signing

The US and Iran announced on Sunday that they had reached a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the conflict that began after US and Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. Pakistani officials mediated the preliminary agreement, which is set to be formally signed in Switzerland on Friday.

The memorandum is expected to formalize a ceasefire and launch a 60-day period of technical negotiations between Washington and Tehran on implementing its provisions.