Israel remains adamant in not withdrawing IDF from southern Lebanon, complicating US-Iran peace talks

Amid the brewing tensions in West Asia, Israel's Defence Minister, Israel Katz, said that the country's troops would not withdraw from southern Lebanon, further complicating the ongoing Iran-US peace talks. While speaking in an interview with an Israeli outlet, Katz said that the troops of the Jewish nation would remain in South Lebanon.

He was echoing the sentiments, earlier expressed by Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “The IDF is prepared … and we are not retreating. We announced that in any case we are not withdrawing, and as of this moment – and this is a political achievement – there is no American demand for Israel to withdraw from Lebanon,” Katz said.

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Last week, Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU), extending a fragile ceasefire and setting the stage for 60 days of talks intended to lead to long-term peace in the region. One of the hindrances to the peace talks was Israel's continued campaign against southern Lebanon, leading Iran to threaten the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump painted a positive picture of the talks and said that Iran was “being very nice” and “agreeing to everything that I want”. However, the US and Iran's interpretations of the whole ordeal have differed significantly, especially regarding Lebanon.

Lebanon remains a sticking point

From the very beginning, Iran has insisted that Israel needs to stop its war in Lebanon and withdraw its troops from the south of the country. Israel has occupied large swathes of south Lebanon in what it calls a “security zone”.

In light of this, the governments of Israel and Lebanon are engaged in US-mediated talks, which, among other things, seek to arrange an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory. Israel is seeking a phased approach whereby it will hand off territory to the Lebanese army, tasked with keeping the area free of Hezbollah fighters.

It is important to point out that these talks do not include Hezbollah, calling into question how effective they can be. Iran, which is not a part of the Israel-Lebanon talks, has worked hard to link a ceasefire with Iran to an end to fighting in Lebanon.

“For us, a ceasefire in Lebanon is as important as a ceasefire in Iran and, further, an end to the war in Lebanon is as important as an end to the war in Iran,” Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said on Wednesday. Overall, the issue continues to remain up in the air.