A senior U.S. official has revealed that the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon is not a fundamental condition of the ongoing agreement being negotiated between the United States and Iran, highlighting ongoing differences over the future of the Lebanese front despite progress in the understandings between the two parties.
According to the Axios website, the U.S. official affirmed that Israel retains the right to defend itself and respond to any potential attacks, stressing that the presence of Israeli forces in southern Lebanon is not a direct condition of the agreement.
These statements come as U.S. Vice President JD Vance pointed out that a number of regional issues, including the Israeli military presence in Lebanon, could affect the implementation mechanisms of the agreement and related understandings.
Conversely, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ismail Baghaei asserted that Lebanon is a key part of the war-ending understandings, indicating that the Lebanese file was mentioned in more than one part of the draft memorandum of understanding being negotiated.
These positions coincide with repeated Israeli affirmations of their refusal to withdraw from areas they describe as being of security importance. Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz announced that his country is adamant about keeping its forces in locations inside Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza.
Furthermore, Israeli media reports stated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed U.S. President Donald Trump that Israeli forces will continue to maintain their current positions within Lebanese territories.
These developments highlight the complexities that continue to surround regional files related to the U.S.-Iran agreement, as the future security situation in Lebanon seems to remain one of the key issues needing further understandings in the coming phase.