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Israel’s Netanyahu Says He Won’t Withdraw from Lebanon, Defying Terms of U.S. Deal with Iran

HeadlineJun 16, 2026

Vice President JD Vance says the Trump administration plans to release the full text of its memorandum of understanding to end the war with Iran “this week,” as details of the agreement with Tehran remain a secret. On Monday, Vance disputed a report by an Iranian state-run news agency that the memorandum would see billions of dollars in Iranian assets unfrozen, while mandating that the U.S. pay Iran $300 billion for reconstruction costs. Vance said the reparations would instead be paid by neighboring Gulf states.

This comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged not to abide by the latest ceasefire agreement between the U.S. and Iran. On Monday, Netanyahu made his first public remarks since Trump announced the deal over the weekend. The Israeli leader said he had no intention of withdrawing his forces from southern Lebanon.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “For decades, I’ve been fighting Iran’s efforts to acquire nuclear weapons. I can define this as my life’s mission. I have upheld it until now, and I will uphold it in the future, as well.”

Earlier today, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned Iran will consider it a direct violation of the interim agreement with the ⁠United States unless Israel halts all attacks and withdraws from occupied Lebanese territory. We’ll have more on Iran after headlines; we’ll speak with Trita Parsi of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.

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