Israel may stay in Lebanon if Hezbollah remains

July 13, 2026

2–3 minutes

Summary

Israel's U.S. ambassador said troops will leave southern Lebanon only if Hezbollah is removed from designated pilot zones.

Why this matters

The comments outlined Israel's conditions for withdrawing from southern Lebanon and underscored how talks with Lebanon intersect with broader tensions involving Iran and the United States.

Israel will withdraw from southern Lebanon only if Hezbollah is removed from designated “pilot zones,” Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter said in an interview broadcast Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”

“If Hezbollah is going to stay there, we haven’t accomplished anything, and that’s why they’re called pilot zones,” Leiter said. “If it works, then we continue the withdrawal. If it doesn’t work, then we stay where we are.”

Leiter said the withdrawal plan was not delayed and depended on whether the Lebanese Armed Forces were “receptive” to the pilot zones. “Hezbollah has no business in Lebanon,” he said. “As a matter of fact, Israel and Lebanon are on the same page. We want Hezbollah out for our security and for their sovereignty. We can withdraw the moment that Hezbollah is dismantled.”

Leiter, who said he was “leading the negotiations on Israel’s behalf with Lebanon,” said he knew “a thing or two about the trilateral agreement.” He said Israel would not return to a situation in which it faced threats on its border from Hezbollah, which he described as “an Iranian terror proxy,” adding that it was “firing rockets and planning attacks, like Hamas did on October 7.”

Leiter said his attendance would depend on plans for the funeral of Sen. Lindsey Graham, whom he said died Saturday after health complications.

Asked about any link between the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding and Israel’s talks with Lebanon, Leiter said, “Iran is not to be involved in Lebanon.”

“What the agreement with Lebanon does is completely remove Iran from the paradigm,” he said.

Leiter also said President Donald Trump “has been consistent” during the war with Iran and that Israel would join U.S. military action if asked.

“We’re a partner, we’re an ally,” he said. “If the United States calls on us to rejoin kinetic activity against Iran, we’re going to be there for the United States.”

Leiter rejected suggestions that Israel had taken an “I told you so” approach toward Washington after criticizing the memorandum of understanding.

“We express our opinion,” Leiter said. “We saw flaws, but we also expressed hope that it would work.”

“If we have Iran that’s denuclearized, not building ballistic missiles, not supporting proxies around the region, just not being a menacing, mayhem-spreading regime, then we will have accomplished it without kinetic activity,” he added. “We have doubts about the possibility of that actually working, but all we do is express our opinion.”

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