ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel will not withdraw from southern Lebanon until its security objectives are achieved, as the Israeli military released a map outlining areas where its forces are currently deployed.

“We will restore security to the north,” Netanyahu said during the inauguration of a new Bible Trail initiative in Israel, as quoted by Israeli state media, coming at a time when Washington has been increasingly critical of the premier's anti-Hezbollah camapign and its threats to the recently signed peace understanding with Iran.

“This requires maintaining the security zone in southern Lebanon, and it requires that we do not leave as long as Israel's security needs demand it,” he added.

The Israeli military said its troops are operating up to approximately 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) inside Lebanese territory as part of a security zone aimed at addressing threats along Israel's northern border.

The Israeli military on Thursday shared a map of the zones of Lebanon in which it maintains a military presence, coming as Washington has urged the country to limit its operations against Hezbollah amid the US-Iran memorandum of understanding

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on the… pic.twitter.com/63H4YMJLvb

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According to the map published by the military, Israeli forces remain present in several areas of southern Lebanon and have not recently withdrawn from those positions.

However, current assessments indicate that deeper operations inside Lebanon, including in Beirut, are not expected at this stage.

Netanyahu said maintaining the security zone is necessary to ensure the safe return of residents displaced by cross-border hostilities and stressed that Israel's security challenges remain ongoing.

Earlier this week, Trump said he had suggested to Israel that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa should deal with Hezbollah, arguing that the Israeli campaign was causing too many casualties.

Praising Sharaa as doing an “amazing job,” Trump said, “if Israel can't do the job without killing everyone else, then he will do the job. Syria will do the job.”

He added that Sharaa “is very good with Hezbollah, [he] does not like them,” while criticizing Israel's handling of the conflict.

“I suggested to Israel to let Syria take care of Hezbollah as, to be honest with you, I think they would do a better job,” Trump said.

He also said he was “not happy with the way Israel had handled themselves with Lebanon and Hezbollah” and that Netanyahu “has to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon.”

The recently signed peace memorandum between the US and Iran includes a ceasefire on all fronts, explicitly mentioning Lebanon. Continued Israeli operations in its northern neighbor, therefore, could threaten the accord and inflict reputational damage for the Trump administration.

US Vice President JD Vance echoed Trump's criticism on Thursday, saying that "if I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world."