{
  "id": 16495043,
  "title": "Druze leader Walid Joumblatt believes Israel will 'never leave' southern Lebanon",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/25/druze-leader-walid-joumblatt-believes-israel-will-never-leave",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-25T16:20:42.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/10/24/druze-leader-walid-joumblatt-believes-israel-plans-to-remain-in-southern-lebanon/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Walid Joumblatt, a Druze leader, firmly believes that Israel will never withdraw from southern Lebanon for decades. He accuses the Israeli government of erasing Palestinian nationhood and expanding its territory, including biblical land, to create a \"biblical empire.\" This assessment comes from a man who witnessed Lebanon's civil war, the Syrian occupation, and his father's assassination. With the US pulling out troops and Russia engaged in its own conflict, Israel now dominates the region militarily. Israel holds security zones in southern Lebanon, southern Syria, and over 70% of Gaza, according to Defence Minister Israel Katz. Israel has destroyed over 60 villages and 23,000 structures in southern Lebanon, and has barred residents from returning to an area of 2,000 square kilometers. Despite repeated Israeli promises to withdraw, Joumblatt dismisses the disarmament demands as unachievable and suitable for a force seeking to remain. He accuses some Lebanese ministers of following Washington's misguided belief that Israel will leave. He also criticizes the Druze community, stating that they are being manipulated by Israel and are marching under Israeli flags, showing they are following the wrong path. Israel's own Druze community, according to Joumblatt, leaves the decision-making to the Israeli government.",
  "summary": "Druze leader Walid Joumblatt believes Israel will remain in southern Lebanon for decades. “They will never leave,” he tells On The Record with Hadley Gamble from his home in Beirut. \"The Americans are withdrawing. What is left is [Benjamin] Netanyahu controlling and expanding his own territory , his biblical empire.\" It is a stark reading of the region from a man who has lived through Lebanon's…",
  "key_points": [
    "Walid Joumblatt believes Israel will never withdraw from southern Lebanon.",
    "He accuses Israel of erasing Palestinian nationhood and expanding territory.",
    "Israel holds security zones in southern Lebanon and has destroyed over 60 villages there."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}