Defense minister says Israel won’t withdraw from land seized in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza
Jun 15, 2026, 12:13 AM | Updated: 1:28 pm
A rescue worker checks an apartment that was hit in an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Credit: AP Photo/Bilal Hussein
(AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel’s defense minister said Monday that Israel won’t withdraw from land seized in Lebanon as the interim deal between Iran and the United States is pending.
Israel Katz’s remarks were the first official Israeli comments after the announcement of the interim deal. The two sides plan to meet Friday in Geneva to sign it, Pakistan has said.
Katz said Israel plans to stay “indefinitely” in lands it holds in Lebanon, as well as Syria and the Gaza Strip. Iran has tied the interim deal over the war to halting Israel’s attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Katz also threatened that if Iran attacks Israel over Israeli strikes in Lebanon, Israel will strike Iran with “great force.”
Over the past two and a half years, Israel has taken control of areas in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria amounting to 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) of territory — an area that is slightly smaller than New York City.
