JERUSALEM (VINnews)-Defense Minister Israel Katz declared Monday that Israel has “no territorial ambitions in Lebanon” but will not pull back “a millimeter” from southern Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed, emphasizing a long-term Israeli military presence in the area.

Speaking to military reporters, Katz said the Israel Defense Forces are unlikely to withdraw from additional positions in southern Lebanon beyond a limited pilot program in two locations where the Lebanese army is set to take over.

“People should not hold their breath wondering where the next place will be from which Israel will withdraw in Lebanon, because it will not happen until Hezbollah is disarmed,” Katz said. “We have no territorial ambitions in Lebanon, but until Hezbollah is disarmed we will not withdraw a millimeter.”

He said the position is accepted by the United States and is anchored in the military annex to the framework agreement signed last week between Israel and Lebanon. Katz added that he and U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper agreed that the IDF will not withdraw from three security zones — in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza.

Katz expressed skepticism that the Lebanese army would aggressively confront Hezbollah, saying he does not believe it will “suddenly become lions charging at Hezbollah.” As a result, he said, the IDF’s presence in Lebanon will be long-term.

The defense minister confirmed that Israel recently asked the Lebanese army to enter the Ali Taher Ridge area — site of a major Hezbollah tunnel system — and clear it of terrorists, but the army refused. The IDF remains in the area but has not entered the underground passages, where some 30 Hezbollah operatives are believed to be holed up.

Katz defended the widespread destruction of Shiite villages along the border, saying it was necessary to protect Israel from Hezbollah. In the western and central sectors of southern Lebanon, there is “almost 100 percent destruction” in villages along the line of contact, while 73% of such villages in the eastern sector have been destroyed, he said. Approximately 600,000 Shiites fled villages in southern Lebanon, with another 700,000 displaced from Hezbollah’s Dahiyeh stronghold in Beirut, according to Katz.

In a notable disclosure, Katz claimed that without American pressure, the IDF would have caused Hezbollah to collapse. He said Israel had planned a “massive” aerial campaign that would have dismantled the terror group, which was “begging the Iranians to save it.”

“When President Trump linked Iran and Lebanon, we stopped bringing down buildings in Beirut,” Katz said. “The linkage between the arenas is an American interest, and these are the constraints of the partnership with the United States. If there had not been a linkage between the Lebanon and Iran arenas, Hezbollah would have collapsed.”

Katz said he was not present for one phone call between Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of a U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding, during which Trump applied pressure that created the linkage. That led Israel to shift to “plan B,” which included operations north of the Litani River and expansion of the security zone in southern Lebanon — moves carried out with U.S. approval, he said.

The defense minister added that the IDF still has “more tunnels to destroy and blow up,” including a major underground Hezbollah system beneath the Beaufort Ridge that will be taken out with 500 tons of explosives.

Regarding Iran, Katz said that if Tehran responds to developments in Lebanon with ballistic missile attacks on Israel, the IDF is prepared to strike targets in Iran independently. Such an attack could come “even within two days,” he said, though Israel will not interfere with Trump’s diplomatic approach toward the Iranians.