📍 IDF ADVANCES IN SOUTHERN LEBANON: Israeli armored columns were seen advancing toward the village of Hadatha in southern Lebanon.
Saudi reports claim that once the U.S.-Iran agreement is signed on Friday, Israel will be required to begin withdrawing from Lebanon and complete a final withdrawal before a permanent agreement is signed.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi discussed the memorandum of understanding with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and stressed the need for Israeli attacks in Lebanon to stop, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
🛡️ IDF CONCERNED ABOUT POTENTIAL FORCED WITHDRAWAL: According to Haaretz, the IDF is increasingly concerned that a U.S.-Iran agreement could force Israel to withdraw back to the "Yellow Line" in southern Lebanon, effectively erasing territorial gains made during the ground offensive.
Military officials reportedly fear that an externally imposed withdrawal could undo weeks of operations that pushed Hezbollah northward and secured strategic positions, including Beaufort Castle.
Commanders warn that such a withdrawal would likely be portrayed by Hezbollah as a victory and could expose northern Israeli communities to renewed threats.
According to the report, senior officers have stressed that any withdrawal should be coordinated and conditions-based rather than dictated by a diplomatic timetable. Officials also expressed concern that Hezbollah could seek to exploit a rapid pullback.
🇮🇱 SMOTRICH: ISRAEL WILL NOT LEAVE LEBANON: Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich openly rejected reports of an impending withdrawal from Lebanon.
"There will be no withdrawal from Lebanon — not by Friday and not after Friday. We are preserving the IDF's full freedom of action in Lebanon. We will remain in southern Lebanon, we will deepen our presence there. As long as Hezbollah is not disarmed, we will remain there for the long term — as many years as necessary."
On the U.S.-Iran agreement, Smotrich said:
"This agreement is bad, and I think we can and should say what we think and conduct this debate. We crippled the Iranian economy, its industries, its nuclear program — we pushed them back significantly. We wanted to do much more."
Addressing disagreements with Washington, he added:
"We have a partner called the President of the United States. He has his interests. As Netanyahu rightly said, he looks after the interests of the United States, and we look after ours. There are real disagreements right now between us and the United States. The challenge is knowing how to manage this crisis while standing your ground — you need to know how not to snap the rope."
Smotrich also argued that the Iranian regime must ultimately be removed from power and stated that Israel would continue acting independently to address the threat.
On Gaza, he said:
"We control nearly 70% of the Gaza Strip. Gaza is in ruins. There will be no reconstruction without demilitarization. We are now preparing several plans because we need to destroy Hamas."
⚓ U.S. TO ISSUE OIL SANCTIONS EXEMPTIONS: Bloomberg reports that the U.S. Treasury Department will issue exemptions for Iranian oil and petrochemical exports immediately after the agreement is signed.
A U.S. official told Bloomberg:
"Iran will not reap the benefits of the agreement unless it fulfills its obligations."
The official said Iran's obligations include not possessing nuclear weapons, neutralizing enriched nuclear material, and ensuring freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
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