A Lebanese Army excavator clearing a road in Debbine, in southern Lebanon, on June 4, 2026. (Photo: Stringer/Reuters)
SOUTH LEBANON — Israel's defense minister said Wednesday that Israeli forces would remain in self-proclaimed "security zones" established in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza, without any timeline for withdrawal.
"[Israeli troops] will remain in the 'security' zones in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza indefinitely," Israel Katz said.
"We will not withdraw from the security zones," Katz said at function held in honor of Israeli soldiers killed during the 2006 war in Lebanon.
Katz also reiterated an earlier warning to Iran, saying the Islamic republic would be struck with "full force" if it attacked Israel over its operations in Lebanon.
Israel and Lebanon signed a U.S.-sponsored framework on Friday in an attempt to disarm Hezbollah.
Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have repeatedly ruled out withdrawing troops from southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces continue occupying and meeting the resistance of Hezbollah fighters.
They maintain that any troop withdrawal would happen only after Hezbollah has been disarmed across Lebanon.
Israel has killed nearly 4,300 people in Lebanon since March 2.
The Israeli military says it has lost 38 soldiers and one civilian contractor in Lebanon since ground battles resumed.
Israel has also carried out repeated incursions and bombings in Syria since the overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, saying it seeks to establish a demilitarized zone in the country's south.
In Gaza, Israeli forces occupy nearly 70% of the besieged and war-torn Palestinian enclave.
