Israel must withdraw entirely from Lebanon, Iran’s IRGC says

Israel must withdraw on its own from Lebanon’s entire territory or be forced to flee in defeat, the commander of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force Esmaeil Qaani said on Thursday according to state media.

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Last week, the United States and Iran signed an interim deal ending hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, and pledged to ensure Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, with Tehran saying this means Israeli troops must leave southern Lebanon.

Israel and Lebanon have been discussing a US-backed proposal for Israeli forces to transfer some of the Lebanese territory invaded in their war with Hezbollah to Lebanon’s military, in a possible step toward restoring Lebanese control of occupied territory.

Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war on March 2 with rocket fire at Israel to avenge the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in US-Israeli strikes.

Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding last week aimed at reaching a permanent settlement between the two countries, following the war launched by the US and Israel on Iran on February 28.

With agencies

Read more: Israel, Lebanon deny that Israel has withdrawn from part of southern Lebanon