Haaretz: Israel escalates hawkish Lebanon stance, vowing no withdrawal even if U.S. demands it

Showing who’s boss in the U.S.-Israel relationship.

PM Netanyahu said on Wednesday Israel would not withdraw from its self-declared security zone in southern Lebanon “as long as I am prime minister,” hours after Defense Minister Israel Katz said the IDF would not pull out “even if there is an American demand to do so.” Katz said that previous deployments of Israeli troops in buffer zones resulted in attacks on soldiers, adding that Israel will “not allow that. Solders inside, residents outside,” and vowed that the 200,000 Lebanese residents displaced from the area “will not return.”

At the same time, senior IDF commanders stationed in Lebanon told Haaretz that the reality on the ground contradicts the hawkish rhetoric coming from Netanyahu and Katz. While both leaders continue to speak of maintaining “absolute freedom of action” in Lebanon, commanders say reality on the ground reflects the exact opposite.

According to the commanders, Israeli forces have received clear instructions to halt strikes on Hezbollah targets except in cases of an immediate and tangible threat to soldiers’ lives. The Israeli Air Force, as well as armored and artillery units, are operating under the same directives. As a result, Israeli troops have largely adopted static defensive positions along the front lines, with permission to open fire granted only when facing a direct threat.

Military officials have also expressed concern over a new de-escalation mechanism intended to enforce the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah announced as part of U.S.-Iran talks. The arrangement would include the Lebanese government alongside the U.S., Iran, Qatar, and Pakistan, but exclude Israel. “Up to this moment, we have not received any official directive or update on this mechanism’s establishment, and we are mainly relying on foreign reports,” an intelligence source said.

Meanwhile, another round of U.S.-mediated talks between Israel and Lebanon are scheduled to take place in Washington on Wednesday, as the IDF said it struck two armed Hezbollah militants who posed a threat to troops in southern Lebanon, while Lebanese media reported a drone strike on a vehicle in the area.

In Israel, the illusion is still being fed that, not only is it possible to win every military campaign, but that through force, it’s possible to wipe away a tragedy produced by geography, ideology and time – as if military force alone can solve historical disputes, writes Zvi Bar’el