US Defense Secretary Katz Says US Has Not Asked Israel to Withdraw Troops from South Lebanon

JAKARTA - Israeli Defense Minister Katz said on Wednesday that the United States had not asked Israel to withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon, a condition set by Lebanon in ongoing ceasefire negotiations.

"We have announced that under no circumstances will we withdraw our troops and, until now - and this is a diplomatic achievement - there has been no American demand for Israel to withdraw its troops from Lebanon," Katz said in an interview at a convention of local leaders in Tel Aviv, launching Al Arabiya from AFP (25/6).

When asked if Israel would comply with the US request if it were made, Defense Minister Katz said he had told US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to tell US President Donald Trump that "we are there to protect the population in the north" of Israel.

Separately, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun rejected Israel's occupation of the south and foreign interference in his country's affairs - a veiled reference to Iran, Hezbollah's patron - as the fifth round of Israeli-Lebanese talks began in Washington on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Iran reiterated that peace in Lebanon is a fundamental pillar for reaching a definitive agreement with Washington to end the war in the Middle East as a whole.

Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding last week aimed at reaching a permanent settlement between the two countries, following the war launched by the US and Israel against Iran on February 28.

Hizbulla dragged Lebanon into the Middle East war on March 2 with rocket attacks on Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran's supreme leader in a US-Israeli attack.

Israel responded with air raids and ground assaults that Lebanon says have killed more than 4,100 people, prompting the occupation of a 10-kilometer (six-mile) security zone in southern Lebanon along the border with Israel.

Israeli officials insist the country will retain control over the zone.

On Monday, Netanyahu said Israeli forces in Lebanon retained "full freedom of action to thwart any immediate or evolving threat."

Israel and Lebanon are currently engaged in a round of US-mediated talks in Washington to seek a diplomatic solution to the conflict, the disarmament of Hezbollah, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.