Published on: 2026-04-17
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –
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Jerusalem, April 17 /Xinhua/ — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that even after the ceasefire with the Lebanese group “Hezbollah” comes into force, Israel will retain a 10-kilometer security zone in southern Lebanon.
The video recording of the Israeli Prime Minister’s statement was published after the announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump about the ceasefire. The truce was agreed upon by B. Netanyahu and the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, and came into effect on Thursday at 17:00 North American Eastern Time / 21:00 Greenwich Mean Time.
The Prime Minister of Israel noted that he rejected Hezbollah’s demand to withdraw the army to the internationally recognized border and that Israeli forces will remain in the security zone in Lebanon.
According to him, this buffer zone will help prevent “invasions” and shelling from anti-tank weapons on populated areas in northern Israel.
“We have the opportunity to conclude a historic peace agreement with Lebanon,” said B. Netanyahu, adding that D. Trump intends to invite him and J. Aoun to advance such a deal.
He emphasized that such an opportunity arose thanks to the fact that Israel fundamentally changed the balance of power in Lebanon, adding that over the past month Israel had received proposals from the Lebanese side to hold direct peace negotiations.
The Prime Minister noted that Israel has two main demands in these negotiations — disarmament of Hezbollah and conclusion of a long-term peace agreement.
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