Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz raised the ceiling of the Israeli position regarding the military presence in southern Lebanon and Syria, declaring that Israel will not withdraw from what it describes as the “security zone,” even if Washington requests it, in a position that reflects a clear Israeli hardening in conjunction with the ongoing diplomatic movement around the Lebanese file.
Katz said, according to what Al Arabiya reported, that Israel will not withdraw from the “security zone” in Lebanon and Syria, stressing that withdrawal from southern Lebanon is out of the question even if a direct American request in this direction is issued.
This statement comes at a very sensitive time, as research continues into new security arrangements related to the southern borders of Lebanon, amid American attempts to push for a formula that reduces tension and opens the door to a gradual Israeli withdrawal from areas in the south, in exchange for strengthening the deployment of the Lebanese army and ensuring that escalation does not return.
But Katz’s position reflects Israel’s adherence to a security equation based on keeping its forces in positions it deems necessary to protect northern Israel, which puts any negotiating path before a fundamental knot related to the principle of withdrawal, its borders, timing, and the party that will assume security after it.
Beirut views the continued Israeli presence in the south as an obstacle to stabilization, especially since any security arrangements that do not include a clear withdrawal remain incomplete politically and on the ground, while Washington is betting on the role of the Lebanese army as an official body capable of filling the security vacuum in the areas from which Israel may withdraw.
The statements of the Israeli Defense Minister gain additional importance because they are not limited to Lebanon, but also include Syria, which suggests that Israel is moving to establish a broader concept of “security zones” on more than one front, in light of a dynamic regional environment and international attempts to reduce escalation after a period of military and political tension.
Thus, Katz’s words put the negotiations before a difficult test: Either American pressure will succeed in extracting Israeli flexibility towards the south, or the Israeli insistence on remaining will turn into a new point of conflict that will obstruct any settlement and return the border issue to the circle of open tension.
