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Israel rejects Trump's Lebanon withdrawal claim, says troops will stay until Hezbollah is disarmed

Israel rejects Trump's Lebanon withdrawal claim, says troops will stay until Hezbollah is disarmed

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz speaks during a joint press conference with his Greek counterpart in Athens on January 20, 2026 Photograph: (AFP)

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Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz rejected Donald Trump's claim that Israel would withdraw from southern Lebanon, saying IDF troops will remain until Hezbollah is disarmed.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz on Thursday rejected US President Donald Trump's claim that Israel will withdraw its troops from Southern Lebanon, saying that it would remain in Lebanon as long as required. Katz said that Israel has the "privilege and right" to protect its citizens from Hezbollah, and the IDF forces will remain within Lebanon until the disarmament of Hezbollah.

"We did not ask anyone's permission to enter Lebanon, and we do not need permission to stay in Lebanon," said Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz. "As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I have clarified, we will continue to stay in the security zone in Lebanon and to act from it as needed, until Hezbollah is disarmed in all of Lebanon and the threat to the residents of the north is removed."

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The statement comes in response to Trump's response to a question at the sidelines of the NATO summit about Israel and Lebanon getting along. He said that Israel is planning to withdraw from Lebanon, as he understood following his discussion with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"Yeah, I think they're going to. I think they want to". He further stated that Israel and Lebanon were "getting along" and signing "deals".

The friction between Trump and Netanyahu about the ongoing Israeli operation in Lebanon has been public for some time now. Trump has previously said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu listens to him. He told Axios that Israel "does as he says," despite indicating otherwise. Israel continued its attack in Lebanon even after reservations from US President Donald Trump. He openly discarded the peace plan outlined by the Gaza Board of Peace, and pushed that no reconstruction will take place in the enclave before it is entirely demilitarised.

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Kushal Deb

Kushal Deb is a mid-career journalist with seven years of experience and a strong academic background. Passionate about research, storytelling, writes about economics, policy, cult...Read More