Defense Minister Katz Fires Back: “There Are No Restrictions Inside Lebanon”

Lebanon Ceasefire Claim

Defense Minister Israel Katz pushed back against claims of a new ceasefire understanding in Lebanon, saying Israel would continue acting against Hezbollah without restrictions.

Speaking on Channel 14’s “The Patriots” following a statement by U.S. President Donald Trump, Katz said Israel had changed the rules of the conflict.

“Everything that is required will be done,” Katz said. “There are no restrictions inside Lebanon.”

Katz rejected the idea that Israel’s military action would be limited by a partial arrangement involving Beirut’s Dahieh district.

“The equation is clear: there are no conditional attacks in Beirut,” he said. “There is no ceasefire in Lebanon. We have changed the equation.”

Lebanese Statement

Katz’s comments came after the office of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun published a statement saying Lebanon had received confirmation that Hezbollah agreed to an American proposal for a mutual halt to attacks.

According to the statement, Israel would stop advancing in the southern Dahieh district of Beirut, while Hezbollah would stop carrying out attacks against northern Israel.

The statement said the proposal followed a phone call between Aoun and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The statement also said President Trump later informed Lebanon’s ambassador to Washington, Nadia Maawad, that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed to the proposed arrangement.

Under the Lebanese version of the proposal, the ceasefire would later be expanded to apply across all of Lebanon.

Israel’s Position

Katz presented a very different picture.

“Hezbollah will not attack Israel, so Israel will not attack Dahieh in Beirut,” he said. “We are continuing our operations.”

He said Israel’s goal remains to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its power and to remove Hezbollah operatives from southern Lebanon.

“We will continue to deal with every threat that Hezbollah creates,” Katz said.