‘Will not leave’: Is Israel killing the US-Iran MoU by staying in Lebanon?

As he visited troops in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the military “will not leave” the area as long as the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah remains a “threat” to his nation. A day earlier, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz also said Israel’s military will not withdraw “a millimetre” until Hezbollah is disarmed. Recommended Stories list of 3 items end of list But the Israeli stance is squarely at odds with the first clause of the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) , which provides for an immediate, permanent halt to fighting on “all fronts”, including in Lebanon where Israeli forces have occupied approximately one-fifth of the country since early March. That provision has since been undercut by a separate US-brokered framework agreement between Israel and the Lebanese government, which doesn’t require Israeli forces to leave southern Lebanon or halt attacks – a deal Hezbollah has denounced. The result has been an entrenchment of Israel’s military presence in Lebanon , even as strikes have eased to avoid reigniting direct conflict with Iran . That leaves an open question: Is Israel’s position bluster for a domestic audience , or a hard line that could unravel the fragile MoU? We spoke to analysts to find out. …