Israel Won't Withdraw From Seized Lebanon, Syria, Gaza
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- Israel Katz said Israel will not withdraw from land seized in Lebanon — the first official Israeli comment after the announcement of a pending interim deal between Iran and the United States.
- Iran and the US are scheduled to meet in Geneva on Friday (June 19, 2026) to sign the interim deal, with Pakistan announcing the meeting plan.
- Katz said Israel plans to stay "indefinitely" in lands it holds in Lebanon, Syria, and the Gaza Strip — approximately 1,000 square kilometres of territory, an area slightly smaller than New York City, accumulated over the past two and a half years.
- Iran has explicitly tied the interim deal to halting Israel's attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon, putting the diplomatic track in direct tension with the military posture Katz is defending.
- Katz warned that if Iran attacks Israel over the Lebanon strikes, Israel will strike Iran with "great force."
Why it matters: Iran's condition for the US-Iran interim deal is halting Israeli strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon, but Katz declared Israel will stay "indefinitely" in 1,000 sq km of seized territory across Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza, and threatened to strike Iran with "great force" if attacked. That puts the June 19 Geneva signing on a collision course with Israel's stated military posture.
