Katz: We will stay in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria

 

TT

 

Published 10:49

  

Israel Katz. Archive photo. Photo: Mark Schiefelbein/AP/TT

Despite President Trump's calls, Israel intends to remain in "safety zones" in both the Gaza Strip and Lebanon and Syria. This is what Defense Minister Israel Katz says ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's expected trip to the United States.

In a conversation with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Katz emphasized that Israel is determined to "remain in the safety zones in Syria, Gaza and Lebanon", according to a statement quoted by Israeli media.

These zones have been likened to a stealth occupation in the world. In Gaza, Israel now controls 60 percent of the area. According to the news site Axios, the US president has asked Israel to back off, at least in Syria.

- They don't want you there. You should regroup, Donald Trump is said to have told Netanyahu, according to the site's sources.

Netanyahu is expected to travel to the United States in the next few days to meet with Trump.