Israel Rejects Withdrawal From Lebanon, Syria And Gaza 'Security Zones'

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz told US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that Israel is determined to keep its forces in "security zones" it has carved out inside Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip on Thursday.

In a statement, Katz's office said the two men spoke overnight and the minister "emphasised Israel's determination to remain in the security zones in Syria, Gaza, and Lebanon in order to protect Israel's borders and the communities near the border from the threats posed by jihadist forces."

"We have never asked the United States to act in our place along our borders," Katz said, according to AFP.

His comments came after Hegseth held a separate meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during which the Israeli leader reiterated his government's commitment to the security zones, according to a Pentagon readout. The readout did not specify whether Hegseth raised Trump's reported request for withdrawal, but noted the two discussed regional security and the US-Israel defence relationship.

The meetings come days after US President Donald Trump asked Netanyahu to pull Israeli forces out of Syria and Lebanon, according to US news outlet Axios, as cited by AFP. Citing a US official, Axios reported that Trump told Netanyahu the Israeli deployment was fuelling tensions in Syria. "They don't want you there. You should redeploy," Trump told him, according to Axios.

Security Zones And Regional Context

After the December 2024 overthrow of Syria's longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, Israel sent troops into a UN-patrolled buffer zone that separated Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights. Israel has also carried out repeated incursions into Syrian territory since then, as well as bombings, and has said it wants a demilitarised zone in the country's south, as per AFP.

In Lebanon, Israeli forces remain deployed in what the military describes as a security zone extending roughly 10 kilometres into Lebanese territory. Lebanon and Israel, which have no formal relations, are engaged in talks to end hostilities after Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the broader Middle East war by attacking Israel in March.

The latest round of hostilities began on March 2, when Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel in response to the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader in joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran days earlier. Israel responded with an extensive air campaign and ground operations in southern Lebanon. Nearly 4,300 people have been killed in Israeli military operations since the fighting began, Lebanese authorities have stated.

The two countries concluded their fifth round of talks in Rome on Wednesday, AFP reported. The US-brokered negotiations are aimed at having Israeli forces steadily withdraw from Lebanon, starting with two "pilot zones" located outside the "security zone" that Israel has established in the south. A sixth round of talks is scheduled to take place in Rome next week, with ambassadors leading the discussions on July 15 and 16.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said earlier this month that "Israel has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon," while emphasising that the negotiations remain focused on security and implementing the framework agreement signed by Israel, Lebanon and the United States. Under the agreement, the Lebanese Armed Forces will gradually restore authority in southern Lebanon, with Hezbollah beginning to disarm in designated "pilot zones" as Israeli forces withdraw from those areas.

In Gaza, Israel's military controls 60 per cent of the territory and is present on the entire outside perimeter along the borders with Israel and Egypt.