Netanyahu says Israel won't leave Lebanon, defying US-Iran deal
46 sources·2h ago·mainstream

Israel defies US-Iran deal by refusing Lebanon withdrawal; Switzerland talks scrapped after Hezbollah clashes

Xinhua—Netanyahu declared Israel will not withdraw from southern Lebanon despite the US-Iran memorandum explicitly requiring it, calling the deal a 'catastrophic capitulation' and demarcating an expanded occupation zone. Escalating Israeli strikes on Lebanon threatened to unravel the agreement and forced cancellation of the planned Vance-led talks in Switzerland. A US-brokered Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire was later agreed after intense fighting, and 25 vessels crossed the reopened Strait of Hormuz on June 18. The US warned Israel not to disrupt the Iran deal while Iran said any final agreement requires full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory.