Smotrich: IDF will stay in Lebanon for years, until after Hezbollah disarms, won’t withdraw even if US demands it

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich promises that Israel will stay in the security zone it is holding inside Lebanon for years to come, and won’t withdraw even in the face of an explicit US demand to do so.

In an interview with the Makor Rishon newspaper published over the weekend, Smotrich adds that he estimates that no such American demand will come, because “they understand our red lines.”

Asked if the military will stay in Lebanon for years, the far-right minister says: “Yes, and I say this as someone who is currently holding negotiations over the management of the defense budget for the next decade.”

Asked if Israel should be forming army posts and entire bases in the security zone, Smotrich replies: “Everything, definitely. We are there until Hezbollah disarms, and I think also beyond that, because we need defendable borders.” He argues that the border set by the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916 is illogical and didn’t consider the terrain’s topography.

“But of course, until Hezbollah disarms, we aren’t moving a millimeter. This is the stance of the prime minister and the defense minister, and mine too, and we are determined to stick to it.”