Tel Aviv [Israel], April 17 : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday (local time) said that Israeli forces will continue to hold their positions in southern Lebanon during the ongoing 10-day ceasefire, stressing that the move is aimed at maintaining security along the border, CNN reported.
"We will remain in a 10-kilometre security zone, which will allow us to prevent infiltration into communities and anti-tank missile fire," Netanyahu said in a video statement issued shortly after US President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire.
He asserted that Israel would not scale back its presence in the region, describing the current deployment as more robust than previous arrangements, as reported by CNN.
"We are remaining in Lebanon in an expanded security zone," Netanyahu said, adding that the area is "much stronger, much more powerful, far more continuous, and far more solid than what we had before."
"That is where we will remain. We are not leaving," he said.
Netanyahu noted that the ceasefire is intended to facilitate continued diplomatic engagement with Lebanon, even as tensions persist along the border, as per CNN.
He said Trump had invited him and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun for talks in Washington, DC, although Aoun earlier declined to join a phone call with Netanyahu amid ongoing Israeli strikes, CNN reported.
Outlining Israel's position in the negotiations, Netanyahu said the focus remains on security and long-term stability.
Yesterday, he said, "In the talks, we have two demands: the disarmament of Hezbollah (and) a sustainable peace agreement - from a position of strength," he said.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump on Thursday (local time) described ongoing efforts to broker peace between Israel and Lebanon as "very exciting," suggesting a potential breakthrough in what he indicated could be another major diplomatic achievement.
Responding to a question on what was described as a "10th border" negotiation, Trump said, "It's very exciting. With Lebanon, it's very exciting. I think we're going to have a deal. We're going to have a meeting first time in 44 years and Lebanon will be meeting with Israel and they're probably going to do it at the White House."
He added that he had recently spoken to both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, and expressed confidence about a ceasefire arrangement.
"We're going to be meeting with Bibi Netanyahu, and the President of Lebanon. I had a great talk with both of them today. They're going to be having a ceasefire and that'll include Hezbollah..." Trump said.
On the timeline, the US President indicated that the meeting between the two sides could take place soon. "Over the next week or two," he said.
Addressing concerns about whether an agreement could be reached without Hezbollah's consent, Trump expressed optimism about broader alignment.
"I think we will have an agreement between Lebanon, and they're going to take care of Hezbollah. But they're going to be working on Hezbollah right now, but we'll have an agreement between Israel, very importantly, and Lebanon," he said.
The remarks come after Trump earlier announced that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to initiate a 10-day ceasefire following intensive diplomatic engagement by the United States. He had described his conversations with both leaders as "excellent" and termed the development a step toward a broader and lasting peace in the region.
The ceasefire comes at a critical juncture for West Asia, following a period of significant volatility along the Israel-Lebanon border.
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