Katz hails Lebanon truce: ‘We promised security to residents of the north, and we delivered’

Defense Minister Israel Katz hails the US-brokered ceasefire in Lebanon, declaring that “members of the opposition should apologize, and acknowledge this great achievement in Lebanon, on the ground and also on the diplomatic level.”

The agreement, he says in a statement, is “an expression of the reality we’ve created in Lebanon up until now. A reality that can lead to a peace deal with the state of Lebanon.”

“We promised security to the residents of the north, and we delivered,” he says.

“The declaration includes an unequivocal statement on the disarmament of Hezbollah, the removal of Hezbollah terrorists from the area south of the Litani River, the continued presence of the IDF in the security area, and freedom of action for Israel,” he says.

A joint Israeli-Lebanese statement last night said the truce was “contingent” on Hezbollah ceasing fire and withdrawing north of the Litani.

Since then, Israel has intercepted a “suspicious aerial target” near the Lebanon border, and Lebanese media have reported Israeli drone strikes in the country’s south.