Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel is working to establish a deeper security buffer zone along the Lebanon–Israel border, saying it would go beyond a limited number of forward positions and instead form a wider security belt aimed at preventing cross-border incursions and reducing the threat of anti-tank missile fire.

“We are not talking about  just five outposts,” he said. “We are talking about a substantial, deeper security zone that prevents the possibility of an invasion and pushes the anti-tank missile threat farther away.”

He accused Hezbollah of establishing what he described as “terror villages” in southern Lebanon, adding that the group had embedded military infrastructure within civilian areas. 

“Every terrorist position, and there are many, has simply been flattened,” Netanyahu said. “You have to see it; it is a major change.”

Turning to ongoing hostilities, Netanyahu said fighting in Lebanon was still underway, including continued clashes in the southern town of Bint Jbeil, which has seen intensified military operations in recent days.

The Israeli PM said the security concept being pursued in southern Lebanon was not limited to a small number of positions, but rather a broader zone designed to eliminate what he described as the dual threat of Hezbollah infiltration and rocket fire.

On regional diplomacy, Netanyahu said the ceasefire involving Iran and the United States remained fragile and could collapse “at any moment,” according to remarks cited by Israeli media at the cabinet meeting.

He said U.S. Vice President JD Vance had briefed him following talks connected to negotiations with Iran in Pakistan. According to Netanyahu, Washington was unwilling to accept what it considered Iranian non-compliance with understandings linked to the talks, including commitments related to de-escalation and maritime access.

“The Americans could not tolerate Iran’s blatant violation of the agreement to enter negotiations,” Netanyahu said. He added that, under the arrangement as described to him, Iran was expected to halt hostilities and move immediately toward reopening strategic maritime routes, including the Strait of Hormuz, which he said had not occurred.

Netanyahu also said Vance outlined Washington’s central objective as ensuring the removal of all enriched nuclear material from Iran and preventing any future enrichment activity “for years, possibly decades.”

“This is their focus, and it is also important to us,” he said.

In a further sign of alignment with Washington, Netanyahu said Israel supported U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to impose a naval blockade on Iranian ports, adding that both sides were acting in close coordination.

“We support President Trump’s firm decision to impose a naval blockade on Iran,” he said, stressing that there was no disagreement between the allies.

“The claims of a rift between us are completely false,” Netanyahu added. “The opposite is true. Anyone who has participated in these discussions and in our daily coordination with the president and his team can attest to that.”

He went on to say that the level of strategic cooperation with Washington was unprecedented in Israel’s history.

“This degree of coordination has never existed before — not in the history of the State of Israel, and not in the history of the Jewish people,” he said.

Netanyahu reiterated that Israel remains in constant contact with U.S. officials as regional tensions continue to unfold.