IDF to remain in Lebanon buffer zone 'indefinitely'

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are "staying indefinitely" in the buffer zone on the border with Lebanon, Defense Minister Israel Katz said.

"There is a buffer zone (on the border with Lebanon). It wasn't easy but I stood my ground, and we received a green light from the United States. We gave them a map, and we are staying indefinitely - this is situation-dependent, not time-dependent," his office quoted Katz as saying at a conference of local authority heads in Israel.

On February 17, the Ynet news outlet reported that the IDF would withdraw from southern Lebanon as part of the ceasefire deal, but would remain in five strategic positions. According to Kan radio, the Israeli army will remain in these five positions to prevent Hezbollah units from resuming their activities in southern Lebanon.