New Delhi [India], June 15 (ANI): Following the sharp rebuke by Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on the Iran-US peace deal, where he said that the Jewish state is not bound by US President Donald Trump’s agreement with the Islamic Republic, Israeli Ambassador to India Reuven Azar on Monday said that Lebanon is not part of the agreement, stressing that the future of Lebanon would be determined by its own government, which is currently engaged in negotiations with Israel.
Speaking to ANI on the Iran-US deal, which, according to Trump, has been finalised and set to be signed on Friday, Azar said that Israel had not yet seen the text of the agreement and was awaiting further details before taking a position.
“First of all, we don’t have the text yet. It hasn’t been published, so it’s difficult to talk about a text that we don’t know the details of," Azar said.
Based on the reported information available so far, Azar said that the agreement appeared to focus primarily on reopening the key international waterway, the Strait of Hormuz, which has caused major disruption to the global energy flow since the beginning of the conflict on February 28.
“From the information that we have, it seems that first and foremost, this is about opening the straits, something that the Iranian regime decided to close a few months back. All these pipe dreams about collecting tolls or getting reparations from the United States are all over. So they are going to agree to open the international waterway as is required by international law, and they are going to enter a negotiation of 60 days on all the outstanding issues," he said.
Responding to a question on Tehran’s claim that Lebanon was included in the agreement, Azar firmly rejected the assertion.
“Lebanon is not part of this agreement. The future of Lebanon has to be determined by the government of Lebanon, which is negotiating a peace deal with Israel at this point," he said.
The Israeli envoy further said that Israel would continue to prioritise its security interests and maintain its presence in designated buffer zones, adding that Israel would continue operations against Hezbollah’s infrastructure in southern Lebanon.
“Our defence minister was very clear this morning that, first of all, we are going to stay in all our buffer zones, including Lebanon, and that we are going to do whatever it takes to defend ourselves," Azar stated.
“We will continue taking action as we have been taking this morning to continue dismantling the Hezbollah infrastructure in the south. And at the end of the day, the Israeli cabinet will have to look at the text, and we have to decide what it wants to do. We are not part of the agreement," he added.
His remarks come after Trump on Sunday stated that a deal with Iran was “complete" and that the strategic waterway would again be open after the signing of the agreement on Friday.
He further stated that the “Great Deal" was aimed at bringing “Peace and Security" to the whole region.
“This Great Deal will bring Peace and Security to the whole Region. Many presidents have tried to make Peace with Iran, and all have failed before me. The Leaders of the Region have, for the first time, found a President who can help them achieve real Peace. With the opening of the Strait upon the signing of the Deal on Friday, for purposes of mine removal, oil will flow on both ends again for the Region, and the World! Trump stated in a post on Truth Social.
However, following Trump’s announcement, Ben-Gvir, in a post on X, stated that Israel is not bound by the Trump agreement, noting that Israel maintains its absolute sovereignty.
“Trump’s agreement does not bind us. Israel is not subject to the United States, and we are an independent and sovereign nation," the post read.
Iran has repeatedly maintained that Lebanon must be included in the final agreement with the US, with Iranian officials describing it as an “integral part" of the border arrangement. (ANI)
(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)
