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Benjamin Netanyahu Vows to Keep Israeli Security Forces in Lebanon

Dmitri Bolt
Dmitri Bolt  |  June 18, 2026 3:30 PM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he has no plans to withdraw Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) from Lebanon, despite provisions in the Trump administration’s Iran deal calling for a halt to military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon. The development has raised some questions about Israel’s ability to continue its defensive operations against Hezbollah, which operates out of southern Lebanon and continued to launch attacks over the weekend.

“We will restore security and prosperity to northern towns,” Netanyahu told reporters on Thursday. “That requires maintaining the security zone in southern Lebanon.”

“It requires that we not leave there, as long as Israel’s security needs require it,” he added.

The IDF made a similar statement on X, posting a map of their 10km deep security zone in Lebanon, and writing: "The IDF is deployed in the Security Zone, ~10 km inside Lebanese territory, due to operational requirements. IDF soldiers will continue to remove threats and strengthen the defense of Israel’s northern residents."

This comes as the Trump administration has expressed displeasure with Israel after it launched strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on Sunday, just hours before a deal was reached. President Trump criticized the timing of the operation, arguing that the strikes risked complicating and potentially undermining ongoing negotiations.

Since then, both the president and vice president have continued to criticize Israeli officials, who in turn have voiced strong opposition to the Iran deal.

It also raises concerns that the deal could collapse, as Iranian officials warned earlier this week that even a single Israeli strike would constitute a violation, though what that would actually entail remains unclear.