Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said Israeli forces will continue to remain in southern Lebanon during the ongoing 10-day ceasefire, asserting that “we are not leaving.”In a video statement issued after US President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire, Netanyahu said, “We will remain in a 10-kilometre security zone, which will allow us to prevent infiltration into communities and anti-tank missile fire.” He asserted that Israel would not scale back its presence, describing the current deployment as stronger than previous arrangements. “We are remaining in Lebanon in an expanded security zone,” Netanyahu said, adding that the area is “much stronger, much more powerful, far more continuous, and far more solid than what we had before.” “That is where we will remain. We are not leaving,” he added.Netanyahu said the ceasefire is intended to enable continued diplomatic engagement with Lebanon, even as tensions persist along the border.Outlining Israel’s position, he said, “In the talks, we have two demands: the disarmament of Hezbollah (and) a sustainable peace agreement – from a position of strength.” He also revealed that Trump had invited him and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun for talks in Washington, although Aoun had earlier declined to join a phone call with Netanyahu amid ongoing Israeli strikes.Meanwhile, Trump described efforts to broker peace between Israel and Lebanon as “very exciting,” indicating a potential diplomatic breakthrough.“It’s very exciting. With Lebanon, it’s very exciting. I think we’re going to have a deal. We’re going to have a meeting first time in 44 years and Lebanon will be meeting with Israel and they’re probably going to do it at the White House,” he said.He added that he had recently spoken to both leaders and expressed confidence about the ceasefire holding. “We’re going to be meeting with Bibi Netanyahu, and the President of Lebanon. I had a great talk with both of them today. They’re going to be having a ceasefire and that’ll include Hezbollah…” the US president said.On the timeline, Trump said the meeting could take place soon. “Over the next week or two,” he said.“I think we will have an agreement between Lebanon, and they’re going to take care of Hezbollah. But they’re going to be working on Hezbollah right now, but we’ll have an agreement between Israel, very importantly, and Lebanon,” he added.The remarks come after Trump announced that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a 10-day ceasefire following intensive US-led diplomatic efforts.
