16/04/2026
*Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Statement on Lebanon and Iran*
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this evening (Thursday, 16 April 2026) [translated from Hebrew]:
"We have an opportunity to forge a historic peace agreement with Lebanon. President Trump intends to invite me and the President of Lebanon in order to try to advance this agreement.
This opportunity exists because, since the 'War of Redemption,' we have fundamentally changed the balance of power in Lebanon. We activated the pagers; we eliminated the massive arsenal of 150,000 rockets and missiles that Nasrallah prepared to destroy Israel’s cities. We eliminated Nasrallah. This balance has shifted to such an extent that over the past month, we began receiving calls from Lebanon to hold direct peace talks between us. This is something that hasn't happened in over 40 years. I answered that call, and I agreed to a timeout, or more accurately, a temporary ten-day ceasefire, to try and advance the agreement we began discussing during the meeting of ambassadors in Washington.
We have two fundamental demands for these peace talks: First, the disarmament of Hezbollah. Second, a sustainable peace agreement, peace through strength. To achieve this ceasefire, Hezbollah insisted on two conditions: First, that Israel must withdraw from all Lebanese territory, back to the international border. Second, a ceasefire based on the 'quiet for quiet' model. I agreed to neither of these, and indeed, those two conditions are not being met.
We are remaining in Lebanon in a reinforced security buffer zone. This is not the 'five points' that existed before 'Roaring Lion.' This is a security buffer that starts at the sea and continues to Mount Dov and the foothills of Mt. Hermon, up to the Syrian border. This is a security strip ten kilometers deep, which is much stronger, more intense, more continuous, and more solid than what we had previously. That is where we are and we are not leaving. This allows us, first and foremost, to block the danger of an invasion into our communities, and secondly, it allows us to prevent direct anti-tank fire into the communities. The residents are now protected from these two dangers. Of course, there are still problems; They still have rockets left. We will have to deal with that as well, as part of the progress toward a security agreement and a continuous peace treaty.
But there is something else, and I want to tell you what it is. I have spoken with President Trump over these last two days, and he told me he is tremendously determined to continue the naval blockade and to bring about the dismantling of Iran's nuclear capability, what remains of it. He is not giving up on this. He is certain he can eliminate this threat once and for all, continuing the great things we have done together. Of course, we will also handle the missile threat and the enrichment capability. I will not elaborate. These are two very important moves that can fundamentally change our security and diplomatic situation for years to come. With G-d's help, we will act, and with G-d's help, we will succeed."
