Israeli DM: US Gave Israel Green Light To Stay In Lebanon ‘Indefinitely’

Occupation of southern Lebanon not ‘time-dependent’

Israel’s decision to continue to occupy territory in southern Lebanon beyond the February 18 deadline came without a lot of official comment from the US. According to Israeli DM Israel Katz, however, the US gave them a “green light” to remain militarily in Lebanon indefinitely.

Israeli media was reporting around the deadline that the US was backing the continued occupation of five surveillance posts inside southern Lebanon. The US never directly confirmed that, however, and that Israel remains in Lebanon just came and went without official US comment.

The ceasefire ending the Israeli invasion of Lebanon was meant to provide a 60-day window for Israeli withdrawal, which would’ve ended January 26. The US guaranteed that Israel would be out by then, but then later endorsed extending the deadline to February 18. They similarly talked about February 18 being a firm deadline that would not be extended , but then stopped talking about it at all beyond that.

Israel started building the hilltop surveillance posts before the February 18 deadline, and Israeli FM Gideon Sa’ar said that the “ strategic high points ” would be necessary to retain temporarily, until the Lebanese Army has sufficient control of the south.

The temporary nature of those posts seems to be at considerable doubt from Katz’s comments. He no longer presented this as anything to do with Lebanese Army control of the area, and just maintains that it is “ not time-dependent. ” It appears Israel will be staying as long as it wants, and the US is comfortable with that idea.

🔗SOURCE ➡️ Antiwar.com

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