Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Wednesday that Israel will maintain a security zone in southern Lebanon and vowed that Iran will not obtain nuclear weapons. The statements were made during a municipal government summit in Tel Aviv.
"As long as I am Prime Minister, Iran will not have nuclear weapons. And another thing, as long as I am Prime Minister, we will maintain the security zone in southern Lebanon," Netanyahu said. He further indicated that there is "more work to be done, in Gaza, in Lebanon, and against Iran too."
Netanyahu highlighted his government's efforts against Iran, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Hamas in Gaza. He claimed that without his government's actions, "Iran would already have had an atomic bomb to destroy us, and we have averted that. We have averted the immediate threat of thousands of ballistic missiles."
Earlier remarks from Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz indicated that the U.S. had not requested Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon. Katz stated that Israel would not withdraw from Lebanon even if such a demand were made by the U.S.
"We've made it clear, the Prime Minister to the President, me to Hegseth the minister of war -- the IDF, we are there to protect the residents of the north," Katz said when asked about a potential U.S. demand for withdrawal.
In parallel, delegations from the U.S. and Iran opened talks in Switzerland on Sunday. Separately, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated that inspectors would visit Iranian nuclear sites, though the exact timing remains unclear.