Netanyahu visits occupied southern Lebanon, says Israel won't leave yet

TEL AVIV, June 30 - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday visited Lebanese territory occupied by the Israeli military, telling soldiers that Israel would not withdraw from the country's south as long as Iran-backed Hezbollah continued to pose a threat.

It was the first visit by Netanyahu to occupied Lebanese territory since the Israeli and Lebanese governments reached a security agreement last Friday mediated by the United States under which Israel will hand over two areas to Lebanon's army.

"Our insistence is that we will not leave southern Lebanon until the threat is removed," Netanyahu told troops, according to a statement released by his office, referring to Hezbollah.

"And as long as Hezbollah remains here, armed and threatening us, we will remain here as well," he said.

Netanyahu, who last publicly visited occupied Lebanese territory in April, was joined by Defence Minister Israel Katz and senior military officials.

'PILOT ZONES'

Under the U.S.-backed security agreement, Israeli forces are to withdraw from two "pilot zones" and allow the Lebanese armed forces to take control of the areas. Few details have been made public on how the project will work in practice.

Israel invaded Lebanon after it was fired upon by Hezbollah on March 2 in response to the U.S. and Israel attacking Iran on February 28, sparking a regional war that killed thousands, mostly in Iran and Lebanon but also in the Gulf and in Israel.

Israel's military has created a "buffer zone" about 10 km (6 miles) into Lebanon along the entire length of the Israeli border. Israeli officials say the zone is necessary to protect northern Israeli communities from attacks launched by Hezbollah.

The military has forced the local Lebanese population from their homes and carried out raids of villages, destroying buildings. The military says it is destroying infrastructure, including underground tunnels, used by Hezbollah.

Over 4,000 Lebanese have been killed and more than a million displaced by Israel's campaign in Lebanon since March. At least 32 Israeli soldiers and four Israeli civilians have been killed by Hezbollah, most of them in southern Lebanon.

Netanyahu told Israeli troops on Tuesday that Hezbollah still had around 12,000 rockets and missiles in its arsenal and that the Israeli military had killed 9,000 militants in Lebanon. He gave no timeframe for the latter figure but appeared to be referring to the number killed since March 2.

Hezbollah does not release figures on its war dead. Reuters reported on May 4 that several thousand Hezbollah fighters had been killed in the war.

Iran has repeatedly demanded a ceasefire in Lebanon as part of its negotiations with the U.S. to end the war that began in February. Israel, which is not directly involved in those talks, opposes linking the war in Lebanon to the war with Iran.

Under U.S. pressure, Israel agreed to a ceasefire with Hezbollah on June 19, although violence has persisted.

Hezbollah has repeatedly objected to the negotiations between Israel and Lebanon and is not part of the talks. REUTERS