National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on Saturday night criticized the agreement reached with Lebanon, saying he had asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bring the deal before the cabinet for a vote. Ben Gvir said he had been opposing the agreement for weeks.
"The agreement with Lebanon is a serious mistake," Ben Gvir said. "I contacted the prime minister this evening and requested a cabinet vote. I have been fighting against this agreement for weeks. At the moment, we remain in control of most of the area, but the state of Lebanon will not disarm Hezbollah of its weapons. There is no reason to trust Lebanon to take Hezbollah’s weapons away. I will demand a cabinet vote. Only IDF soldiers will destroy Hezbollah. No other body will do it for us."
The comments came after Israel, Lebanon, and the United States signed a framework agreement regarding the beginning of an IDF withdrawal from southern Lebanon. The agreement states that Israeli forces will continue operating in the security zone as long as Hezbollah has not been disarmed.
Significant progress was reported in talks held in Washington, where the sides reached understandings on launching a pilot program in two areas. Under the arrangement, IDF forces would withdraw from the designated areas while Lebanese army forces would enter in their place.
One of the areas is located south of the Litani River and another north of it. The IDF is expected to reduce its presence within the security zone but will not fully withdraw from Lebanese territory at this stage.
The pilot program is limited in scope, with Israeli forces remaining deployed in the area and being repositioned to allow the Lebanese army to enter the agreed locations.