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Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Saturday lashed out at a framework agreement with Lebanon, calling it a "grave mistake" and demanding that the deal be put to a vote in Israel's security Cabinet.
In a post on X, Ben-Gvir said he had asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bring the agreement before the Cabinet, claiming he had opposed the deal for weeks.
"True, we remain in most areas for now, but the Lebanese state will not disarm Hezbollah," he wrote.
Ben-Gvir also claimed that Hezbollah members are part of the Lebanese government and argued that Lebanon could not be relied upon to remove the group's weapons.
He said "only Israeli army soldiers will destroy Hezbollah," adding that no other party would do so on Israel's behalf.
Lebanon and Israel signed a framework agreement Friday under U.S. mediation that calls for a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory, beginning with two unnamed pilot areas.
The agreement, however, sets no timetable for withdrawal from the two pilot zones or from all occupied Lebanese territory.
It also links withdrawal to the Lebanese army assuming full and effective security control over evacuated areas and to the disarmament of all non-state armed groups, with specific reference to Hezbollah.
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