Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told President Donald Trump that Israel refuses to withdraw its forces from Lebanon and does not consider itself bound by any Lebanon-related terms in a developing agreement with Iran, according to Israeli sources.
Netanyahu communicated to Trump that Israeli military forces would hold their current positions in Lebanon and press forward with operations targeting Hezbollah, including dismantling terrorist infrastructure and responding militarily to any attacks on Israel, the sources said.
The Israeli cabinet gave Netanyahu unanimous support for this approach during a cabinet meeting, with ministers aligned behind the view that Israel must continue pursuing its security interests in Lebanon, according to those same sources.
Defense Minister Israel Katz echoed the position firmly, stating: “Prime Minister Netanyahu and I are leading a clear policy that establishes that the IDF will remain in the security zones in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza — indefinitely to protect the border and Israeli communities from jihadist elements.”
Katz also declared, “We oppose the IDF’s withdrawal from Lebanon, despite all the existing pressures and those that will come.”
Katz confirmed that the message had been delivered directly to Washington. He said Netanyahu raised the matter with Trump and other American officials, while Katz himself brought it up in a separate conversation with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
Israel’s stance stands in sharp contrast to statements from other parties. Pakistan Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif said the involved parties had “declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.” Iran’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Kazam Gharibabadi similarly called for a “permanent and immediate end to the war on all fronts, including Lebanon.”
Adding to the tension, Trump publicly condemned Israeli airstrikes carried out Sunday against Hezbollah targets in the Dahieh area near Beirut. The strikes came after Iran threatened to walk away from the ceasefire and retaliate.
According to a report by Axios, Trump told Netanyahu he had “no f—ing judgment” over the timing of the strikes.
In a separate interview with Fox News, Trump said: “A deal will be signed within two or three hours. I told Netanyahu — what the hell are you doing?”
Trump also took to his Truth Social platform, writing that the strike “should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran.”
