Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Israeli-held territory in southern Lebanon and declared that Israeli forces will not withdraw as long as Iran-backed Hezbollah continues to threaten Israel, despite a US-brokered security deal last week that envisages a phased Israeli withdrawal from parts of the territory.Speaking to Israeli troops during his visit, Netanyahu reiterated that Israel’s military presence would continue until it deemed the security threat from Hezbollah eliminated.“We insist that we will not leave southern Lebanon until the threat is removed,” Netanyahu told the troops, according to a statement released by his office. And as long as Hezbollah is here, armed and threatening us, we will be here too.Netanyahu was also accompanied by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and senior military officials. It was his first visit to occupied Lebanese territory since Israel and Lebanon reached a US-brokered security deal last Friday, under which Israeli forces are expected to hand over the two areas to the Lebanese army. His last public visit to the occupied territory was in April.Under the agreement, Israeli troops are to withdraw from two “pilot zones”, allowing the Lebanese Armed Forces to assume control. However, few details have been released on how this arrangement will be implemented, and Netanyahu’s comments suggest that Israel’s extensive military presence will remain tied to its assessment of the Hezbollah threat.Israel says its forces have established a buffer zone of about 10 kilometers along the length of the border into southern Lebanon to protect communities in northern Israel from Hezbollah attacks. The Israeli military says it has destroyed infrastructure, including underground tunnels, used by the terrorist group.The campaign has also forced large numbers of Lebanese civilians from their homes, with Israeli forces raiding villages and demolishing buildings in the area.During his address to troops, Netanyahu said Hezbollah still had about 12,000 rockets and missiles. He also claimed that Israeli forces had killed 9,000 Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, although he did not give a timeframe and appeared to be referring to the period after the conflict escalated on March 2. Hezbollah does not publish casualty figures. Reuters reported on 4 May that several thousand Hezbollah fighters were killed during the battle.The latest conflict began after Israel invaded Lebanon on March 2 following Hezbollah attacks, which the group launched in response to US and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28. The fighting has since expanded into a broader regional conflict.More than 4,000 people have been killed and more than a million displaced in Lebanon since Israel’s military campaign began in March, according to cited figures. Israel has reported that at least 32 of its soldiers and four civilians have been killed in Hezbollah attacks, most of them in southern Lebanon.Under US pressure, Israel agreed to a ceasefire with Hezbollah on June 19, although violence continues. Iran has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Lebanon as part of its talks with the United States aimed at ending the wider regional war that began in February. Israel, which is not directly involved in those talks, has opposed linking the Lebanon conflict to talks on Iran.Hezbollah has repeatedly expressed objection to the ongoing talks between Israel and Lebanon and is not participating in the talks.