The Trump administration does not support a permanent Israeli military presence inside Lebanon, a State Department official told Al Arabiya English on Monday, hours after Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz suggested that Israeli forces would remain in a so-called security zone in Lebanese territory.
“The United States expects all parties to act in a manner consistent with the Framework they agreed to, and Israel clearly stated that it has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon,” the official said.
For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The official was referring to the US-brokered ceasefire framework between Lebanon and Israel, which was agreed earlier this summer and calls for the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon and the disarmament of Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Speaking from southern Lebanon on Monday morning, Katz said Israeli forces were “here to stay.”
