Ben Gvir Opposes Lebanon Deal, Demands Cabinet Vote

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said on Saturday night that he has asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bring the agreement with Lebanon to a cabinet vote, and said he will oppose it. Ben Gvir called the deal “a big mistake,” saying he has been fighting it for weeks. He argued that while Israel will remain in much of the area for now, Lebanon will not disarm Hezbollah, and claimed that because Hezbollah-aligned ministers sit in the Lebanese government, “you cannot trust Lebanon” to take the group’s weapons. He added, “Only IDF soldiers will destroy Hezbollah, no other factor will do it for us.”

The agreement, signed on Friday by Israel, Lebanon and the United States, sets the framework for the start of an IDF withdrawal from southern Lebanon. It also keeps Israeli forces in the southern security zone as long as Hezbollah is not disarmed. The main breakthrough came on Saturday in negotiations in Washington, where the sides agreed to begin a pilot in two areas from which the IDF will pull back and Lebanese Army forces will enter. One area is north of the Litani River and the other is south of it.

Under the pilot, the IDF will move back within the security belt but will not fully withdraw from Lebanese territory. The pilot is limited, and the army had planned to reduce forces even before the talks advanced. Units that remain in the belt will be redeployed to allow the Lebanese Army to take up positions in the agreed areas.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at the White House, “We are pleased to announce an agreement. This comes to the two countries that suffered as a result of outside interference. This is the beginning of a journey. There is still much work to do. It will be a difficult journey, but essential.” In a recorded message, Netanyahu welcomed the deal but said Israel will stay in the security zone “as long as Hezbollah is not disarmed,” adding that Israel is maintaining the original security area outside anti-tank missile range and not allowing Hezbollah or civilians to enter it. He said the pilot is intended to let the Lebanese Army begin organizing to take control of territory, and that both pilot areas were recommended by the IDF. Israeli Ambassador to the United States Dr. Yechiel Leiter, who took part in signing the agreement, thanked Rubio and his team and said the deal reflects “Trump’s vision of peace through strength,” with “Iran out, Hezbollah out, and the path to peace in.”