Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz affirmed that Israel does not need permission from any party to remain in Lebanon, stressing that its military presence in the security zone will continue until Hezbollah is disarmed, according to Russia Today. In response to statements by US President Donald Trump during the NATO summit in Ankara, where he said alongside Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa that he believes Israel will withdraw from Lebanon, Katz said in a statement: "We did not ask for permission from any party to enter Lebanon, and we do not need permission to remain in it. This is our right and our duty to protect the residents of the Galilee and the citizens of Israel from the threats of Hezbollah, which seeks to destroy the state." Katz reviewed the background of Israeli military activity in Lebanon, pointing out that "Hezbollah attacked Israel twice on its own initiative: the first after Hamas's attack on October 7, 2023, and the second with the start of the Roaring Lion operation in Iran, when the party opened fire by order of the Iranian regime." He explained that Israel responded forcefully and managed, over two and a half years, to destroy most of Hezbollah's capabilities and leadership, including former Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, whom he described as "one of the heads of the plot to destroy Israel." Katz added: "The security zone established in southern Lebanon extends from the sea in the west to the Beaufort compound and the approaches of Mount Hermon in the east, and it is devoid of population and terrorist infrastructure, with the aim of preventing Hezbollah from launching attacks on the residents of northern Israel, according to him." The Minister of War concluded his statement by emphasizing that "Israel will continue to remain in the security zone and operate from within it, as needed, until Hezbollah is disarmed throughout all of Lebanon and the threat is removed from the residents of the north," stressing that "this is what Israel promised and what it will implement, regardless of international pressures or the statements of external parties."