• Israeli defense minister says army will not withdraw from the security zone in Lebanon

JERUSALEM: Israel’s defense minister said Sunday that Israeli forces had standing orders to act against any threat they encountered inside Lebanon, insisting that troops would remain in the so-called security zone established within Lebanese territory.

“There has never been, and there is currently no restriction on IDF soldiers in Lebanon from acting to eliminate threats… As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I have made clear: Israel will not withdraw from the security zone in Lebanon,” Israel Katz said in a statement, referring to an area extending roughly 10 kilometers (six miles) into Lebanese territory, where Israeli forces are deployed.

Katz’s remarks came shortly after Iran warned that it would not enter talks on a broader agreement with Washington unless the war in Lebanon comes to an end.

AFP