Israel Defense Minister Katz vows troops remain in Lebanon, Syria, Gaza security zones

Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, told his U.S. counterpart Pete Hegseth that Israel is determined to keep its forces in the “security zones” it has established in Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip. He said the deployments are meant to protect Israel’s borders and nearby communities from jihadist threats.

The statement followed U.S. announcements that negotiations in Rome between Israel and Lebanon on pilot zones – from which Israeli troops are to withdraw – were “positive” and that the pull‑out process would start in the coming days. Katz stressed that Israel never asked the United States to operate on Israeli territory.

Israeli forces continue to operate in a roughly 10‑kilometre zone inside Lebanese territory, conduct limited strikes in the south, and control about 60 % of Gaza’s perimeter, carrying out daily operations against Hezbollah and Hamas.