Israel has delivered an unequivocal rejection of the interim peace agreement brokered between Washington and Tehran, declaring it will not withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon, nor from seized areas in Syria and the Gaza Strip. The announcement came within hours of Pakistan’s prime minister revealing that the United States and Iran had agreed to an immediate and final cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, with a formal signing expected in Geneva on 19 June. Defence Minister Israel Katz stated that the Israel Defense Forces would remain in what he termed “security zones” across all three territories “for an indefinite period,” a policy he said had been clearly communicated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to President Donald Trump in a telephone call the previous day.

Viewed from Jerusalem, the US-Iran memorandum is an external arrangement that carries no legal or strategic weight for the Jewish state. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir articulated this most bluntly, writing on social media that “the Trump agreement does not bind us” and that Israel is “an independent and sovereign nation, not a banana republic.” Katz went further, outlining plans to “clean” the occupied Lebanese territory of local residents and what he described as terrorist infrastructure, including homes. Israeli media reported that Netanyahu had secured full cabinet backing for his stance, with officials insisting that any attempt to link the deal to Israeli operations against Hezbollah was unacceptable.

The breadth of Israel’s territorial claims underscores the scale of the rift. Since the escalation of hostilities two and a half years ago, Israeli forces have taken control of buffer zones in Gaza and positions in Syria, in addition to the southern Lebanese strip. Katz characterised the Lebanon incursion as one of the military’s “greatest achievements” during the offensive. While a source within the IDF told The Jerusalem Post that no attacks would occur if Hezbollah observed the ceasefire, the government’s position leaves no room for a negotiated withdrawal. Katz also warned that any Iranian attack in response to continued Israeli strikes would be met with “great force” against Iran itself.

For Washington, the Israeli defiance presents an immediate diplomatic crisis. Trump’s administration has invested significant capital in the interim deal, which Iran has explicitly tied to a halt in Israeli attacks on Hezbollah. Analysts in London note that Netanyahu’s refusal to countenance even a partial pullback risks collapsing the broader framework before it is formalised. The coming days will test whether the White House can reconcile its role as guarantor of the agreement with its alliance with a government that insists on maintaining what it calls permanent security control over foreign soil. With the Geneva signing looming, the Middle East faces not a moment of closure but a new phase of uncertainty, in which the interim accord may prove to be little more than a pause observed by some parties and ignored by others.