Netanyahu Tells Troops in Lebanon: IDF Won’t Leave Until Hezbollah Disarms

by | Jun 30, 2026 | News

a helicopter flying through a blue sky on a sunny day

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Israeli troops stationed in the southern Lebanon security zone on Tuesday, telling soldiers the Israel Defense Forces will not withdraw from the area as long as Hezbollah maintains a presence there. The visit came days after Israel and Lebanon agreed to a US brokered framework envisioning a gradual Israeli withdrawal tied to verified Hezbollah disarmament in the area, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office.

Netanyahu urged the troops to respond firmly to any threats against them while they remain deployed in the zone. The framework agreement, mediated by Washington, ties any Israeli pullback to confirmed steps by Hezbollah to give up its weapons, a condition Israeli officials say has not yet been met.

Speaking separately in a Tuesday interview on Channel 14, Netanyahu pointed to recent military achievements against Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah but cautioned that the broader campaign against what he called the “Iranian axis” is not finished. Asked directly whether Israel’s wars in the region could be considered won, he credited significant successes but added that the conflict is “never over.”

The comments came as Israeli officials continue to monitor Hezbollah’s rearmament efforts in southern Lebanon, with the group estimated to retain only a fraction of its prewar rocket stockpile. The standoff over the pace and conditions of an Israeli withdrawal is expected to remain a central issue in talks between Jerusalem, Beirut, and Washington in the coming weeks.

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