Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday (local time) said that Israeli forces will continue to hold their positions in southern Lebanon during the ongoing 10-day ceasefire, stressing that the move is aimed at maintaining security along the border, CNN reported. "We will remain in a 10-kilometre security zone, which will allow us to prevent infiltration into communities and anti-tank missile fire," Netanyahu said in a video statement issued shortly after US President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire.

He asserted that Israel would not scale back its presence in the region, describing the current deployment as more robust than previous arrangements, as reported by CNN. "We are remaining in Lebanon in an expanded security zone," Netanyahu said, adding that the area is "much stronger, much more powerful, far more continuous, and far more solid than what we had before." "That is where we will remain. We are not leaving," he said.