Israeli ambassador to U.S. says Israel is 'not going to withdraw from South Lebanon'

Source: NPR

Updated June 16, 2026 10:00 AM ET


Israel's ambassador to the United States, Yechiel (Michael) Leiter, told Morning Edition that Israel does not plan to withdraw from southern Lebanon, reinforcing a position Israeli officials have already staked out and exposing a potential fault line in a U.S.-brokered agreement with Iran.

"We're not going to withdraw from South Lebanon, and the madmen of Tehran have no business poking their nose into this," Leiter said in an interview with NPR's Steve Inskeep.

Leiter's comments echoed remarks from Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, who said this week that Israel would not retreat from Lebanon, Syria or Gaza "despite all the existing pressures and those that may yet come."

The position clashes with statements from Iranian officials, who have said Lebanon is part of a broader understanding reached with Washington. Iran's deputy foreign minister said the cessation of fighting would apply "on all fronts," including Lebanon. Leiter rejected all of that interpretation, saying the Trump administration had been "crystal clear" that any agreement with Iran "has nothing to do with our withdrawal from South Lebanon."

Read more: https://www.npr.org/2026/06/16/nx-s1-5858937/israels-ambassador-to-the-u-s-talks-about-u-s-iran-deal-to-end-war