Jerusalem, Israel - Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Monday that Israeli forces will remain in occupied parts of Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza indefinitely, despite a newly announced peace deal with Iran.
"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I are pursuing a clear policy under which the IDF will remain in the security zones in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza for an unlimited period of time," Katz said in a statement on Monday.
He made no reference to the recently announced US-Iran peace deal – the details of which are yet to be publicly announced – but said Israel's policy is meant to "protect the border and Israeli communities… against jihadist elements."
"The area will be cleared of local residents, and all terrorist infrastructure, both above and below ground – including the houses in the frontline villages that served as terrorist outposts – will be destroyed."
"Holding territory and maintaining security zones are among the IDF's greatest achievements," Katz said. "Therefore, we oppose an IDF withdrawal from Lebanon, despite all the existing pressures."
Katz described a process by which the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) will "clear" out local residents.
The details of this policy are unclear, but any forcible transfer of residents who are lawfully living and residing within Lebanon would potentially constitute a crime against humanity.
Such crimes are not uncommon for Israel, however, which has been relentlessly bombing civilian areas in Lebanon throughout the Iran War and was found by the UN to have committed Genocide in Gaza.
Katz also threatened to enact further violence and a "full force" attack on Lebanon if Iran were to attack Israel in response to its occupation.
"We will not compromise on Israel's paramount security interest and the protection of our citizens, and we will not withdraw from the security zones," he said.