Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel (Michael) Leiter arrives for a photo with Lebanese Ambassador to the United States Nada Hamadeh, State Department Counselor Michael Needham, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Michael Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa before working-level peace talks at the State Department on April 14 in Washington.
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Israel has firmly stated its intent to maintain a presence in southern Lebanon, a stance affirmed by Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel (Michael) Leiter, in a conversation with Morning Edition. This announcement comes at a time when a U.S.-brokered deal with Iran appears to be under negotiation.
“We’re not going to withdraw from South Lebanon, and the madmen of Tehran have no business poking their nose into this,” Leiter remarked during an interview with NPR’s Steve Inskeep.
These sentiments were also voiced by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, who reiterated that Israel’s military operations in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza would persist, irrespective of external pressures, as reported earlier this week. For more details on the ongoing negotiations, visit this link.
This position is at odds with Iranian claims that Lebanon is included in the broader accord reached with the U.S., with Iran’s deputy foreign minister asserting that the ceasefire would encompass all conflict zones, including Lebanon.
Leiter dismissed these assertions, emphasizing that the Trump administration’s stance was “crystal clear” in separating any Iran agreement from Israeli withdrawal from South Lebanon.
The discussions surrounding the proposed 60-day ceasefire, which the Trump administration believes could potentially lead to negotiations over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, highlight the ongoing uncertainties in the region.
When questioned about the humanitarian impact of Israel’s military actions against Hezbollah, which have led to approximately 3,700 Lebanese casualties and displaced around 1 million individuals according to Lebanese health officials, Leiter responded that “the people we’ve killed are Hezbollah terrorists,” adding, “We don’t target civilians.”
According to Leiter, any lasting agreement must ensure Iran’s inability to acquire nuclear weapons and be verifiable “at any time, anywhere, under any circumstances.”
Listen to the full interview by clicking on the blue play button above.
The digital version of this interview was written by Majd Al-Waheidi and edited by Treye Green.
