Netanyahu vows Israeli troops will stay in Southern Lebanon despite cease‑fire talks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Israeli‑occupied zone in southern Lebanon, telling soldiers they would remain until the Hezbollah threat is neutralised. He said Israel has created buffer and security zones on the Lebanese side of the border and claimed the troops have eliminated about 9,000 terrorists, destroying infiltration routes, tunnels and villages used for attacks.

Netanyahu highlighted a new US‑brokered agreement reached in Washington, under which two pilot zones in the south would be handed over to the Lebanese army, allowing displaced residents to return and reconstruction to begin. The agreement states Israeli forces will withdraw only after the Lebanese army can disarm Hezbollah and dismantle its infrastructure – a condition viewed as unlikely given Lebanon’s limited capabilities.