Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel will not withdraw from southern Lebanon, following the announcement of a ceasefire between the US and Iran, which supposedly also includes ending the fighting against Hezbollah.

Axar.az reports, citing The Times of Israel, that Katz said Israel would maintain its military presence in security zones across the region.

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I are leading a clear policy that determines that the IDF will remain in the security zones in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza, without any time limit, to protect, from there, the border and Israeli communities against jihadist elements,” Katz said in a statement.

He added that the security zones would be “cleared of local residents, and all terror infrastructure, above and below ground, including the houses in the contact-line villages that served as terror outposts, will be destroyed.”

Katz also warned that “if Iran attacks Israel because of events in Lebanon, we will strike it with full force.”