Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson says that Israel’s continued presence in southern Lebanon would mean the “annulment” of the memorandum of understanding it signed with the United States, in an interview with Lebanon’s Hezbollah-aligned Al Akhbar news outlet.
He says that “the second phase of our negotiations will begin to reach a final agreement, and this final agreement will be achieved only if the memorandum of understanding is fully implemented, which, in our view, means the complete cessation of attacks and the end of the occupation.”
US and Iranian negotiators are set to meet in the Swiss resort town of Burgenstock on Friday for initial talks.
“It was not acceptable for us to abandon our brothers in Lebanon,” Baghaei says. “As for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon, as you know, we mean to end the war and put a definitive and sustainable end to it. For this reason, we cannot talk about ending the war while parts of Lebanese territory remain under the occupation of the Zionist entity. As long as the occupation continues, it can be said that the war is still in place and has not ended in essence.”
IDF publishes fresh map of south Lebanon deployment, says it won’t be withdrawing yet
The IDF publishes an updated map of its security zone in southern Lebanon, saying it will not be withdrawing from the territory at this stage.
Stretching east to west, the deployment line on the map runs up to 10 kilometers (6 miles) deep from the border into Lebanese territory.
“IDF soldiers are stationed in the designated area of operation in southern Lebanon and will continue to remove threats and strengthen the defense of Israel’s northern residents,” the military says in a statement.
The map shows that Israeli troops have advanced deeper into Lebanon since the “forward defense line” was first announced in April, including reaching the outskirts of Nabatieh.
The IDF’s potential withdrawal from areas of southern Lebanon is still being discussed amid direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon. The teams are expected to convene again next week.
At this stage, the IDF says it will continue to hold onto the territory, “in accordance with operational needs,” to remove any threat to troops and to Israel’s northern border communities.
The military also says that it calls on the Lebanese army to coordinate its activity with the IDF and not approach the security zone, as operations in the area continue.
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