U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he believes Israel will withdraw its troops from Lebanon.
Speaking to reporters alongside Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at a press conference in Ankara, Trump said that he discussed an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I talked to Bibi about that. I think they’re going to. I think they want to. I don’t think it’s a question,” the U.S. president said. “We have a deal with Israel and Lebanon, and yeah, they’ll leave.”
The Israeli military occupies a security zone in parts of Southern Lebanon as a buffer against Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel and to dismantle the terrorist group’s infrastructure.
Netanyahu said in June that the Israel Defense Forces would remain in Lebanon “as long as we need to protect our people.”
The framework agreement that Israel signed with the Lebanese government does not require it to withdraw from the country.
