OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — Israeli defence minister said Wednesday that the United States has not demanded that Israel withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon, a condition set by Lebanon in ongoing ceasefire negotiations.

 

"We have announced that in any case we are not withdrawing and, as of this moment -- and this is a diplomatic achievement -- there is no American demand for Israel to withdraw from Lebanon," the minister said.

 

When asked if the army would adhere to such a US request if it was made, the minister said he told US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US President Donald Trump that "we are there to protect the residents of the north" of Israel.

 

In a speech at the same conference, Netanyahu reiterated that the Israeli military is not expected to withdraw.

 

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun rejected Israel's occupation of the south and foreign interference in his country's affairs -- an allusion to Hizbollah’s backer Iran -- as a fifth round of Israel-Lebanon talks began in Washington on Tuesday.

 

Tehran has also reiterated that peace in Lebanon was a fundamental pillar of reaching a definitive agreement with Washington for an overall end to the Middle East war.

 

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.

 

Hizbollah 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.

 

Israel responded with airstrikes and a ground offensive that Lebanon says have killed more than 4,100 people, which led to the occupation of a 10-kilometre security zone in southern Lebanon along the border with Israel.

 

Israeli officials have insisted that the country will retain control of that zone.

 

On Monday, Netanyahu said Israeli forces in Lebanon retained "full freedom of action to thwart any direct or developing threat".

 

Israel and Lebanon are currently involved in a US-mediated round of talks in Washington to seek a diplomatic solution to the conflict and the disarmament of Hezbollah and the withdrawal of Israeli troops.