JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that the country’s forces would remain in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria “for as long as necessary,” hours after a deal was announced between Iran and the US to end the Middle East war.
“We established deep security zones around the State of Israel. We did this in Gaza, in Lebanon, and in Syria,” Netanyahu said in a televised press conference. “And I want to make it clear: we will remain in these security zones for as long as necessary to protect our country.”
Israeli soldiers gather near military vehicles on the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border, in northern Israel on Thursday. (Reuters)
His defense minister Israel Katz made similar comments earlier in the day.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I are pursuing a clear policy under which the IDF will remain in the security zones in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza for an unlimited period of time, in order to protect the border and Israeli communities from there against jihadist elements,” Katz said in a statement.
Katz also warned Iran that if Iran attacked Israel in response to its campaign in Lebanon, Israel would retaliate with “full force.”
