Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, defence minister Israel Katz and Chief of the General Staff Eyal Zamir have reaffirmed Israel’s intention to maintain its military presence in southern Lebanon and continue operations against Hezbollah.
In a joint statement, the three leaders said the Israeli military would continue to “act with determination in order to neutralize threats against our soldiers and our citizens” and would keep targeting what it described as Hezbollah infrastructure.
They also said Israeli forces would continue to “maintain the security zone in southern Lebanon”.
The statement followed separate remarks by Netanyahu, who said the Israeli military would retain “full freedom of action” in Lebanon.
“My stance is firm on our remaining in the security zone in southern Lebanon for as long as is required,” he said, signalling that Israel does not currently intend to withdraw from areas it considers strategically important.
ההנחיה שלי ושל שר הביטחון לצה״ל היא ברורה והיא לא השתנתה:
ללוחמים שלנו בדרום לבנון יש חופש פעולה מלא לסכל כל איום ישיר או מתהווה עליהם או על תושבי הצפון. אין לצה״ל שום הגבלה בעניין זה.
אני עומד מאחוריהם, העם כולו עומד מאחוריהם.
אני עומד איתן על כך שנישאר ברצועת הביטחון בדרום… pic.twitter.com/tbSZG3VwMr
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) June 22, 2026
