Hyderabad, June 24 -- Israel has ruled out withdrawing its forces from southern Lebanon, with Defence Minister Israel Katz saying the military will maintain its presence in the area regardless of any request from the United States.

Speaking at the Muni Expo conference in Tel Aviv, Katz said Israeli troops would remain in what Israel describes as a security zone along the Lebanese border, Times of Israel reported.. He also said around 200,000 displaced Lebanese residents would not be allowed to return to areas under Israeli military control.

Katz argued that previous security arrangements in southern Lebanon had exposed Israeli soldiers to attacks, making continued military deployment necessary.

The remarks came as Lebanese and Israeli ...