Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz told his US counterpart Pete Hegseth early Thursday that “Israel is determined to keep its forces in security zones” in Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip.
In a statement, Katz’s office said the two officials spoke overnight and the minister “emphasized Israel’s determination to remain in the security zones in Syria, Gaza, and Lebanon in order to protect Israel’s borders and the communities near the border from the threats posed by jihadist forces.”
According to Katz’s office, the two officials also discussed recent US military operations against Iran and agreed to maintain close US-Israel coordination in response to any further regional developments.
Katz added that ‘Israel’ does not expect the United States to defend its borders, stressing that “Israel remains committed to protecting its citizens and responding to security threats independently.”
His comments come days after US President Donald Trump asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to pull Israeli forces out of Syria and Lebanon, according to US news outlet Axios.
Citing a US official, Axios reported that Trump told Netanyahu the Israeli deployment was fueling tensions in Syria.
“They don’t want you there. You should redeploy,” Trump told him, according to Axios.
Separately, Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said on Thursday that Benjamin Netanyahu will not travel to the United States next week because the funeral of US Senator Lindsey Graham has been postponed until the end of the month.
Source: Israeli media (edited by Al-Manar)