Defense minister says Israel won't withdraw from land seized in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: AP

Updated 3:39 AM EDT, June 15, 2026


TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel’s defense minister said Monday that Israel won’t withdraw from land seized in Lebanon, potentially challenging an interim deal that Iran and the United States reached hours earlier that includes opening the Strait of Hormuz and further extending a shaky ceasefire.

Details of the deal were not immediately released and Iran signaled implementation would not start until the signing, which key mediator Pakistan said would take place Friday in Switzerland.

But the memorandum of understanding over the war already faced hurdles. Israel’s continued hostilities with the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah in Lebanon, where Israel bombed Beirut’s southern suburbs Sunday, nearly derailed the negotiations. Israel joined the U.S. in launching the war on Feb. 28.

Israel says it won’t withdraw from Lebanon

In the first official Israeli comments after the announcement of the deal, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel won’t withdraw from land seized in Lebanon as the interim deal is pending. Katz said Israel plans to stay “indefinitely” in lands it holds in Lebanon, as well as Syria and the Gaza Strip. Iran has tied the interim deal over the war to halting Israel’s attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon. Katz also threatened that if Iran attacks Israel over Israeli strikes in Lebanon, Israel will strike Iran with “great force.”

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-war-oil-june-15-2026-77406473da38c6c126818610a219dc20

[Akakoji]

1. This is everywhere. And quite expected.

NYTimes
Yan Zhuang
June 15, 2026, 2:30 a.m.
Yan Zhuang

Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, said on social media early Monday that the country was not bound by the U.S.-Iran agreement, which he said did not ensure Israel’s security. He called on Israel not to withdraw from any captured territory or compromise on anything less than the dismantling of Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group in Lebanon. Israel was not party to the negotiations, and its war with Hezbollah is one of the thorniest outstanding issues for the peace agreement.

[cstanleytech]

2. The US should divorce itself from Israel IMO.

[maxsolomon]

19. If they don't bend to MFer's will, that's where we'll be heading.

Sounds like Israel got frozen out of the "MOU".

[cstanleytech]

20. Well it's their own fault to a degree as actions matter and Israel's hasn't behaved the best.

That's not to say the attacks on them should not be stopped but taking people's homes and kicking them out isn't much better than what happened to the Jewish people in Europe during WW 2 when they were forced out of their homes.

[Aussie105]

3. Bibi isn't going to cooperate!

Territorial acquisition is too strong for Israel.
The hate for Iran is too strong.

How is Donald going to react?

Sanctions and withdrawal of support for Israel?
Regime change in Israel?
The 'Venezuela solution'?

[Dr. T]

7. Dimwit Donnie's learning disabilty on full display.

Previous U.S. presidents understood the history of the Middle East. President Twit Fuck can't comprehend history and had to learn the hard way.

[Lovie777]

4. Hey, shithole and the fucked up republican party helped...................

including a few Democrats. The killing and taking Lebanon land will continue. Same with what's left of Gaza. The people who screamed genocide re Gaza and voting for the monster in the WH........................

what say you.

Oh, by the way, shithole is still eyeing for the resort in Gaza

[Bok_Tukalo]

5. When Israel says "from the river to the sea" ...

… who would have guessed that the river was the Nile and the sea was the Caspian?

[thesquanderer]

6. It's like that Shari Lewis song, "This is the war that never ends, yes it goes on and on my friends..." (n/t)

[Bettie]

8. Shocking! OH, wait...

not shocking. 100% expected.

[AloeVera]

14. And anyone claiming otherwise was lying to themselves during Gaza.

Or worse. The trajectory was clear.

The Nakba continues for the nearly 500,000 Palestinians and descendents of those expelled in 1948 and 1967, who fled to Lebanon, mainly to squalid refugee camps in the south that have now been "cleansed".

Will Israel claim attacks from Jordan next? There is a sizable Palestinian refugee population there too. Also part of "Greater Israel". Not beyond the realm of possibility.

It's a 78-year old con job on the West.

[Bettie]

15. Greater Israel

actually contains the majority of entierity of several other nations in the Middle East.

The whole thing is such a mess and it isn't wealthy people who suffer.

But then, it never is.

[LudwigPastorius]

23. Yeah, Beebs looks like he wants to remake the country's...

boundaries into a version of the Kingdom of Israel circa 1,000 BC.

He'll cut off a chunk of Lebanon north to Sidon for now, but he's probably itching to grab pieces of Jordan too.

[SunImp]

21. They're avoiding these topics for some reason

[AloeVera]

22. Their work is finished. Nt

[JBTaurus83]

9. Of course not

They don’t want the war to end. They have clearly stated that.

[Botany]

10. The creation of the State of Israel resulted in the destruction of the homeland of the Palestinian People.

And they have never tried to make it right to the Palestinians and their descendants. The West Bank and
Gaza connected by a 100% secure road or train should be the new Palestine and Jerusalem should be
an open city to both Jews and Muslims. Btw screw all of the American Christo Fascists who dream of
a “greater Israel” and the end days of a Biblical Armageddon.

Bibi’s Israel has no intention to giving up Gaza, Lebanese Territories, or even parts of Syria.

[Bayard]

11. Then this, "agreement," is not worth the ink it would take to sign it

trump gets to withdraw, and claim he won. Bibi will go on stealing land, and crying when he gets his hands slapped.

[orangecrush]

12. K&R

[Prairie Gates]

13. Of course they won't: the purpose was Lebensraum

They are an expansionary state waging aggressive war against their neighbors.

[Martin68]

16. Right. Sure. That's not going last, because it never did before. There will be a ceaseless war of attrition against

occupying troops until they've had enough and withdraw. Again. It happens every time.

[Grins]

17. My long list of reasons to hate Israel just got longer. NM

[iemanja]

18. Naturally

As far as Israel is concerned, they have a right to occupy the entire planet. It is written in a fucking ancient book that they believe gives them cover for every atrocity under the sun.