Katz says Israel to remain in “security zones” in Lebanon, Syria, & Gaza

In defiance of the gradual withdrawal agreement previously reached with Beirut and amid international demands for an end to Israeli military presence in occupied territories, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday that the Israeli military will not withdraw from what he termed “security zones” in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza.

Katz made the remarks in a video statement delivered from an area occupied by the Israeli military in southern Lebanon, near the Litani River. He noted that troops had recently conducted a military maneuver in the area.

Kataz claimed that the Israeli military has heroically defeated Hezbollah and seized control of the Beaufort Castle (Qalaat al-Shaqif), which he described as vital for protecting Metula and other northern Israeli towns. He added that Israeli soldiers are now positioned to threaten all of Hezbollah’s deployment areas on the horizon.

“As the Prime Minister and I have explicitly stated, we are not withdrawing from this security zone, and I am standing here in the very heart of it,” Katz said.

He added that the self-declared security zone stretches from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to Beaufort Castle and the approaches of Mount Hermon in the east, claiming that Israeli presence is necessary to safeguard northern communities and troops.