AhlulBayt News Agency: Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich says the occupation’s forces will stay in Lebanon even if the United States demands their withdrawal.
In an interview with an Israeli newspaper published over the weekend, Smotrich was asked if the regime’s army would remain in Lebanon for years.
He replied, “Yes, and I say this as someone who is currently holding negotiations over the management of the army budget for the next decade.”
Asked if Israel should be forming military posts and bases in Lebanon, he said, “Everything, definitely.”
“But of course, until [the Lebanese resistance group] Hezbollah disarms, we aren’t moving a millimeter. This is the stance of the prime minister and the minister of military affairs, and mine too, and we are determined to stick to it,” the extremist minister added.
Smotrich also claimed the regime’s military won’t withdraw from Lebanon even in the face of an explicit US demand to do so.
He said he estimates that no such American demand will come, because “they understand our red lines.”
The relationship between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appeared increasingly strained ever since April 8, when a temporary Tehran-Washington ceasefire put a halt to the 40-day illegal US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran.
Trump has fumed over Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanon, insisting they have hampered diplomatic efforts to reach a deal with Iran.
On June 17, Trump and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that brings about a permanent end to the unprovoked US-Israeli military assault against the Islamic Republic.
The 14-point deal, which includes a commitment from both sides to hold further talks on a final agreement in the next 60 days, calls for a permanent end to hostilities across all fronts, including Lebanon.
However, Israel has kept bombing Lebanon and occupying parts of the country’s south, where it has imposed a so-called “Yellow Line” — a coercive military buffer resembling the regime’s notorious control measures in the besieged Gaza Strip.
During a recent interview with Axios, the US President claimed that he would be able to keep Israel from launching new attacks in Lebanon because the regime has a lot of respect for him, thanks to his previous policies regarding Iran.
.......................
End/ 257
Your Comment