Netanyahu Refuses to Pull Forces From Lebanon, Threatening US-Iran Deal

A defiant stance that could unravel a fragile truce

Days after Washington and Tehran reached a tentative deal to end their war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared he would keep troops in Lebanon "as long as necessary," directly rejecting a condition Iran says is essential to the agreement.aljazeera +1 In a televised address Monday, Netanyahu insisted "the struggle has not ended" and ruled out any immediate withdrawal from the roughly 570 square kilometers of southern Lebanese territory Israel occupies.aljazeera +1 The standoff has opened a live diplomatic crisis days before a signing ceremony scheduled for Friday at Switzerland's Bürgenstock resort.apnews

Iran calls withdrawal essential; the US says it isn't required

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi raised the stakes Tuesday, warning that the war would not be over without Israel pulling back. "Without the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territories they occupied during this war, the war has not fully come to an end," he said.apnews +1 Two regional officials with knowledge of the interim deal said it would require Israel to leave nearly all the territory it holds in Lebanon, minus a few hilltop positions along the border.apnews

But a US official, speaking anonymously, said the agreement does not call for an Israeli withdrawal, and Israeli officials say they have not even been shown the memorandum of understanding.apnews Israel was not a party to the US-Iran talks, though it joined the United States in striking Iran and has fought the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, where strikes have killed nearly 4,000 people and displaced more than a million.apnews

Trump's patience wears thin as the deadline nears

The dispute has strained Netanyahu's relationship with his most important ally. Speaking at the G7 summit, President Donald Trump said he was "not happy with the way Israel has handled themselves with Lebanon," calling a recent Israeli bombing of Beirut "vicious" and urging Netanyahu to behave "more responsibly."apnews +1 "Israel has been fighting Hezbollah for too long and too many people are being killed," he said.theguardian

At home, the deal has battered Netanyahu, with opposition figures branding it an "abject failure" even as far-right coalition members urge Israel to ignore terms it had no hand in negotiating.theguardian Defence Minister Israel Katz vowed the military would stay in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza "without setting a time limit."aljazeera With an Israeli election due before October, analysts say a forced withdrawal could end Netanyahu's career — leaving the broader peace framework hostage to a fight he cannot afford to lose.theguardian