Israel says military will stay at five key points in southern Lebanon

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says the Israeli military will stay at five strategic points in southern Lebanon “indefinitely,” regardless of negotiations over 13 disputed points on the border, according to The Times of Israel.

During an assessment yesterday with top military officials, Katz said that the Israeli military will remain at the "five points that control the buffer zone in Lebanon, indefinitely, for the sake of protecting the residents of the north, and this is without any connection to future negotiations on points of dispute on the border,” his office said.

On Tuesday, the US  announced it is mediating talks between Lebanon and Israel to resolve outstanding disputes, including the release of Lebanese detainees and land border disputes.