Israeli Defence Minister Yisrael Katz said the linkage between the Lebanese front and US-Iran understandings prevented what he claimed would have been Hezbollah’s collapse, adding that Israel has since adopted a new strategy centred on maintaining its military presence in southern Lebanon. Speaking during a briefing with military correspondents on Monday, Katz said Israel was forced to alter its military approach after Washington linked developments in Lebanon to negotiations with Iran. “When President Donald Trump linked Iran and Lebanon, we stopped bombing buildings in Beirut,” Katz said, according to Israeli Army Radio. He argued that connecting the two fronts served US interests and reflected the constraints of Israel’s strategic partnership with Washington. “If there hadn’t been a link between the […]