[84281] Israel declares: We will not withdraw forces from Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza

Israel stands against international pressure regarding the continued control of buffer zones

Defense Minister Israel Katz clarified today, June 15, 2026, that Israel will not withdraw from the buffer zones under its control in Lebanon, Syria, and the Gaza Strip. According to reports in Iran International and FarsiX, Katz emphasized that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has clarified this position to US President Donald Trump and other senior American officials, and that he himself presented the matter to the US Secretary of Defense.

Regarding threats from Tehran, خبرفوری جنگ🚨 and العربیه فارسی quote Katz as saying: "If the Islamic Republic attacks Israel due to the events in Lebanon, we will strike them back with full force." These agencies, which generally present a critical line toward Israel, emphasize the Israeli determination to demonstrate "power gaps" vis-à-vis Iran.

Meanwhile, former Defense Minister Benny Gantz, as reported by آخرین خبر (identified with positions critical of Israel), criticized the current strategic policy. Gantz argued that "the understandings between Iran and the US are a strategic failure" and that Israel should not accept any restriction on its freedom of military action in the region.

These developments come against the backdrop of reports in Afghanistan International and RFI فارسی on recent efforts to formulate understandings between the US and Iran. These media outlets note that the resolute Israeli position could pose key challenges to these diplomatic attempts, as سپاه ایران, identified with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, also emphasized Israel's refusal to heed the international pressure exerted on it to evacuate the territories.