Katz declares: ‘We did not ask permission to enter Lebanon, and we will not need permission to stay’

Katz said the security zone is intended to deny Hezbollah the ability to harm residents of the north.

By JFeed

Defense Minister Israel Katz issued an unequivocal statement on Thursday morning asserting that Israel is acting independently in Lebanon and does not require approval from any outside party to remain there, a declaration that came directly in response to remarks made by President Donald Trump at the NATO summit in Ankara.

Katz’s statement followed comments Trump made alongside Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in which the American president suggested he believes Israel will ultimately withdraw from Lebanon, part of a broader pattern in which Trump has repeatedly floated the idea that Syria could handle Hezbollah more effectively than the Israeli military.

In an official statement, Katz said Israel did not ask permission from any party to enter Lebanon and does not need permission to remain there, adding that defending the residents of the Galilee and the citizens of Israel against the threats of the jihadist terror organization Hezbollah, which seeks to destroy the State of Israel, is both Israel’s right and its duty.

The defense minister laid out the background to Israel’s military activity in Lebanon, placing blame squarely on Hezbollah.

He said the terror organization attacked Israel twice on its own initiative, first following the murderous Hamas assault of October 7 and again at the start of Operation Roaring Lion in Iran, when Hezbollah opened fire on Israel under instructions from the Iranian terror regime.

According to Katz, Israel responded forcefully and, over the past two and a half years, has dismantled most of Hezbollah’s capabilities and leadership, chief among them the arch terrorist Nasrallah, one of the architects of the plan to destroy Israel.

He credited political decision-making, the determination of the IDF command, the courage of Israeli soldiers and the resilience of northern residents with the establishment of what he described as a strong security zone in Lebanon.

Katz detailed the scope of that zone, describing it as stretching from the sea in the west to the Beaufort compound and the approaches to Mount Hermon in the east, an area he said has been cleared of residents and of terror infrastructure both above and below ground in order to protect Galilee residents from the danger of raids, anti-tank fire, and direct threats.

He said the security zone is intended to deny Hezbollah the ability to harm residents of the north.

The defense minister closed his statement with an unequivocal message regarding the continued Israeli presence in Lebanon.

He said that as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and he have made clear, Israel will continue to remain in the security zone in Lebanon and operate from within it for as long as necessary until Hezbollah is stripped of its weapons throughout all of Lebanon and the threat to northern residents is removed.

Katz said Israel promised security to the residents of the north, delivered on that promise, and will continue to do so.