The military, which in April published a map marking its so-called buffer zone in southern Lebanon, released a new map that shows its troops are operating several kilometers deeper into the country, including near the Hezbollah stronghold of Nabatieh north of the Litani River.
Israeli troops have been operating in some of those areas for several weeks, but the military had not yet published a map showing the expanded zone of control.
In the map published on Thursday, the military described the territory, marked in dark red, as: “The security zone in which IDF (Israel Defense Forces) soldiers are operating in southern Lebanon.â€
Netanyahu and Donald Trump have repeatedly clashed in recent weeks as the U.S. president sought to extricate himself from the war against Iran he jointly launched with his longtime Israeli ally.
Israeli officials have voiced anger with the U.S.-Iran pact, which the two signed on Wednesday, saying it didn't go far enough to address Israeli concerns over Iran's nuclear program and would tie down their military operations in Lebanon.
Trump has made no secret of his frustration with Netanyahu and has criticized Israel's military actions in Lebanon, saying it was unnecessary to bomb entire apartment buildings to hunt Hezbollah militants.
The two Israeli officials, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive talks with Washington, said Israel would not back down on its position that its troops would remain deployed in Lebanon.
