There is 'no restriction on Israeli soldiers to act on threats' in Lebanon, says Katz

Israel's defence minister said on Sunday that there was and is no restriction on Israeli soldiers to act against any threat encountered inside Lebanon.

"There has never been, and there is currently no restriction on [Israeli] soldiers in Lebanon from acting to eliminate threats... As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I have made clear: Israel will not withdraw from the security zone in Lebanon," Israel Katz said in a statement, referring to an area extending roughly 10 kilometres into Lebanese territory where Israeli forces remain.

Katz's remarks came shortly after Iran warned that it would not enter talks on a broader agreement with Washington unless Israel ended its attacks on Lebanon.

Israeli strikes killed more than 20 people in Lebanon on Saturday, Lebanon's state news agency NNA reported, a day after a ceasefire with Hezbollah took effect.