Israel severed diplomatic ties with European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Thursday after Israel’s foreign minister accused her of comparing the country’s policies to apartheid-era South Africa, escalating tensions just days before an EU summit. Gideon Saar, Israel’s foreign minister, announced the decision, citing media reports that Kallas had made the contentious remarks regarding Israel’s actions in the West Bank. “We will not engage with someone who makes such baseless accusations,” Saar said in a statement released by the Israeli foreign ministry .

The rupture comes amid intensifying military operations in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces have continued to push deeper into territory despite a US-brokered ceasefire agreement with Iran that took effect earlier this week. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated on Thursday that Israeli troops would remain in southern Lebanon “for as long as Israel’s security needs require it,” defying expectations that a fragile truce would lead to a withdrawal . The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that operations in the so-called “security zone” along the Lebanese border would persist, citing the need to “eliminate threats and improve the defense of residents in northern Israel” .

Casualties continue to mount on both sides. In Gaza, more than 1,000 people have been killed since a ceasefire was declared in October, according to Palestinian health officials cited by Dutch and Greek media . In Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday killed at least two civilians in the southern town of Kfar Tebnit and one in Zebdín, local authorities reported . Residents in the battered port city of Tyre returned to find their homes reduced to rubble, though some expressed cautious hope that the US-Iran deal might stabilize the situation .

The diplomatic fallout with the EU deepens as Brussels prepares for a critical summit. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, whose country currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency, warned that the dispute would be addressed at the highest levels. “We will have to talk about this,” Merz told reporters in Berlin, underscoring the broader implications for EU-Israel relations .

The developments mark a sharp deterioration in Israel’s relations with Western partners, just as regional tensions show tentative signs of easing elsewhere. With Netanyahu’s government insisting on maintaining a military presence in Lebanon and the EU facing pressure to respond to Kallas’s alleged remarks, the coming days are likely to bring further diplomatic confrontations alongside ongoing violence on the ground.

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#Israel #Iran #Lebanon #USA Israel is seeking to maintain its presence in southern Lebanon, as an IDF official stated that Israeli forces will continue to operate in what they refer to as the "security zone" despite the recent memorandum of understanding with Iran. Further negotiations between Israel and Lebanon are expected to address this situation. Subscribe to @OSINTdefender Chat room

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