Israel Rejects US Call to Quit Southern Lebanon as Hezbollah Presence Blocks Interim Accord
Updated
Updated · Bloomberg · Jun 17
Israel Rejects US Call to Quit Southern Lebanon as Hezbollah Presence Blocks Interim Accord
3 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · Jun 17
Summary
Israel refused a US request to pull its troops from southern Lebanon, keeping forces in place because Hezbollah remains active in the area.
Hezbollah’s continued presence is the stated reason for the rejection, setting up a direct dispute over whether conditions are safe enough for an Israeli withdrawal.
Zev Elkin, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet, said Iranian officials sought to add a withdrawal clause covering Lebanon’s “security zone” to an interim deal finalized earlier this week.
That clash risks complicating wider US and Iranian efforts to turn the interim agreement into a broader peace accord.