Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday night that Israel will keep holding the security zone as long as it is necessary to protect civilians. Speaking at the JNS International Policy Conference, he said that regardless of the outcome of the U.S.-Iran talks in Switzerland, “Iran will never have nuclear weapons as long as I am prime minister of Israel.” Jerusalem’s working assumption is that a deal between Washington and Tehran is unlikely because the gaps remain too wide, but Israel does not plan to interfere in the negotiations.
On Lebanon, Israeli officials said there is no willingness to withdraw under American pressure. At the same time, they said Israel is preparing for possible changes and adjustments in IDF deployments in southern Lebanon, not as a concession but to avoid endangering troops. Netanyahu told closed-door meetings that Israel will preserve operational freedom in the south to protect residents of the north and keep soldiers safe. A security source said, “The IDF will remain there as long as there is no peace agreement, for the security of the communities. There is no withdrawal.” Another Israeli source said there is no American demand for a small or large withdrawal, and that discussions this week will focus on “pilot” areas in which the Lebanese army would prove it can clear Hezbollah out, with American supervision.
Netanyahu also defended Israel’s military conduct, saying the United States would not tell itself to “stop and wait” if it faced daily rocket fire, kidnappings and killings. “It would kill the terrorists and remove the threat,” he said, adding that Israel is targeting militants while trying to reduce civilian harm. “We are not at war with the Lebanese, we are at war with Hezbollah,” he said, and added that once Hezbollah is destroyed, Israel hopes to sign a peace agreement. Defense Minister Israel Katz later wrote on X that Israel has “no intention” of withdrawing from Mount Dov, which he said is part of the Lebanon security zone vital for protecting Galilee communities and IDF forces.
Meanwhile, Iranian media reported that the Tehran delegation was considering its response to Trump’s threats. Trump had warned on Fox News that if no deal is reached, the U.S. could seize the Strait of Hormuz and impose a toll on shipping, and later posted that Iran must stop its “well-funded proxies” in Lebanon, Hezbollah, or the U.S. would strike Iran “very hard” again. Iranian outlets said the threats interrupted the talks, and some reported the delegation left the venue in protest, while others said it was still unclear whether the negotiations would continue.
The talks are taking place at the Bürgenstock resort in Switzerland, led by U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, after meetings with mediators from Qatar and Pakistan. Vance said Trump had authorized a diplomatic effort to open a new chapter with the Iranian people, and said there had been “significant progress” in recent hours, including on Lebanon. Separately, a new Agam Institute and Hebrew University survey found that most Israelis view the U.S.-Iran agreement negatively, believe Israel’s security has weakened, and think Iran gained more from the campaign than Israel did.
