Netanyahu and Katz Threaten Iran; Vow to Remain in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza

On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz promised to remain in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza indefinitely, while renewing threats against Iran.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony for Israeli combat officers, Netanyahu and Katz vowed not to withdraw from their “security zones” no matter what “pressures” Israel faces.

“We dominate southern Lebanon, from the summit of the Beaufort [castle], and we will remain as long as required in the security zone,” Netanyahu said. “We do not intend to withdraw from it.”

“The Israeli military will remain in the security zones in Lebanon, in Syria and in Gaza without any time limit,” Katz added.

“There is another important message, which I hope is clearly understood in Tehran,” Katz said. “If Iran attacks Israel because of our activities in Lebanon, or for any other reason, we will strike it with full force in a way that will clearly demonstrate the gap in power between us.”

Netanyahu – who has been issued a warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC) – also spoke about the two joint U.S.-Israeli wars on Iran, saying that the 2025 and 2026 wars “have achieved tremendous success” and “eliminated an immediate threat, changed our strategic reality, and broken the wall of fear.”

“Our iron fist has struck everyone who sought to raise a hand against us,” Netanyahu boasted.

Polling from Israel shows, however, that the public widely believes the opposite. A recent survey conducted in Israel found that 92 percent of Israelis believe that Iran won the war. Even among voters who support Netanyahu’s right-wing governing coalition, 93 percent believed Iran won the war. Nearly 90 percent believed that Israel failed to achieve its objectives in the war.

Israelis’ support for the war on Iran remained high throughout the six-week, unprovoked war. Their opposition has not been with the war, but with its outcome.

Contrary to Netanyahu’s stated goals, the war did not result in regime change in Iran, the country’s “unconditional surrender,” or the invasion that Netanyahu called for. Iran retained significant military capabilities, and demonstrated that it had leverage with its ability to control the Strait of Hormuz.

Israelis are not opposed to Israel’s continued presence in southern Lebanon, even though it threatens the U.S.’s negotiations with Iran.

Since the start of the genocide on Gaza in 2023, Israel has worked to wage permanent war on its neighbors, and to expand its control of territory in Syria, Lebanon, and Gaza. It has seized more land since 2023 than it had in decades.

Israel invaded southern Lebanon in its war on the country in 2024, and expanded its invasion significantly beginning in March 2026. It has replicated its tactics used on Gaza in south Lebanon, destroying civilian infrastructure in numerous towns and villages – to the point that Human Rights Watch has said that it amounts to wanton destruction, a war crime.

On Friday, Israel signed a framework agreement to withdraw from two areas in Lebanon, one south of the Litani River, and the other north of it. This came after four days of talks in Washington, D.C. between Israel, the Lebanese government, and the U.S. CNN has reported that Israel considers the withdrawals to be “symbolic” and a “gesture” to the Lebanese government. Netanyahu said it is leaving sites that Israel “does not need” in Lebanon.

Last month, Netanyahu said that he had directed the Israeli military to take over 70 percent of Gaza. Israel’s so-called “security zone” had already inched westward, claiming 64 percent of Gaza.

Earlier this month, an Al Jazeera investigation documented over 800 Israeli incursions into Syrian territory between December 2024 and January 2026. Israel has built at least 10 military bases in Syria, in three Syrian provinces.