Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israeli forces would remain in a security zone in southern Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed, adding that he does not trust the Lebanese government to carry out the task, according to an interview with Israel's Radio North.

“No, I don’t trust them to disarm Hezbollah,” Netanyahu said. “That’s why we said that, as long as it remains armed, we will stay in this zone, which has changed the situation in the north.”

Netanyahu described the area as a security zone free of what he called terrorist infrastructure, claiming that many villages in the area had previously served as Hezbollah strongholds but no longer did.

“We created a security zone free of all terrorist systems. Many of the villages were essentially terrorist strongholds, and they are no longer there,” he said.

He vowed to continue military operations against Hezbollah for as long as necessary and said Israel ultimately intended to eliminate the group.

“We will eliminate Hezbollah, although it is weakened and a shadow of its former self,” Netanyahu said, adding that Israel also needed to address the threat posed by Hezbollah’s drones.

Israel has maintained positions in southern Lebanon despite the November 2024 ceasefire agreement, which called for Israeli forces to withdraw from Lebanese territory. The agreement also provided for the deployment of the Lebanese army in the south and the dismantling of unauthorized armed infrastructure in the area.