Netanyahu says Israel 'won't give up' 5 hills in Lebanon
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel "will not give up" the five hills deemed "strategic" it occupies in south Lebanon.
"We maintain five points on the Lebanese side of the border to protect our territory," Netanyahu said, adding: "We will not relinquish control" of the five sites. "Last week, we killed five Hezbollah members for violating the ceasefire agreement we seek to implement firmly," he added.
Netanyahu also used his speech to criticize Yair Lapid, the Israeli opposition leader and centrist who oversaw a historic agreement in 2022 with Lebanon. "Lapid was defeated by Hezbollah and ceded land to it," Netanyahu said, referring to the offshore gas deal between Israel and Lebanon.
Earlier in the day, Lapid said in an interview with Israeli media that the same politicians who criticized the agreement delineating maritime borders and coastal rights were now negotiating a far more significant pact, calling these apparent contradictions "comical." On Tuesday, the Israeli prime minister's office announced that discussions with Lebanon will be launched through three "working groups" to resolve outstanding issues such as land border demarcation, the five occupied hills and the release of Israeli-held Lebanese captives.
Source: Naharnet
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