Netanyahu and Israel Katz visited the security zone in southern Lebanon
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz visited southern Lebanon, where the Israel Defence Forces are engaged in combat operations against Hezbollah. During the trip, they visited the security zone, which covers the border areas under the control of the Israeli army. This was reported by the Prime Minister’s Office.
During a meeting with military officials, Netanyahu stated that Israel had struck the so-called Iranian axis and weakened its capabilities.
“We have targeted the Iranian axis and begun to dismantle it; we have struck deep inside Iran itself and eliminated an existential threat. The most important link in the Iranian axis here is ‘Hezbollah’, which had 150,000 rockets and unguided projectiles. Today, they have about 8 per cent left,” said Netanyahu.
He also stated that several thousand militants had been eliminated and emphasised that the main task of the Israel Defence Forces in southern Lebanon remains the creation of a security zone for residents of Israel’s border regions.
“The point is that we will no longer allow a terrorist army to establish a foothold on our border. We are driving them back. We are destroying, both above and below ground, virtually everything that served as a means for them to attack us, including terrorist tunnels and terrorist settlements. All of this has been eliminated,” said the head of government.
According to Netanyahu, the military operations carried out have led to Lebanon’s recognition of Israel and Israel’s recognition of Lebanon, despite opposition from Iran and ‘Hezbollah’.
“We are saying to both Iran and Hezbollah: get out of here; there is no place for you here. There are two sovereign states that want to make peace with one another, that genuinely want to restore security and prosperity for the residents of northern Israel and the people of Lebanon,” said Netanyahu.
At the same time, he reiterated that the Israeli army would not leave Lebanese territory as long as threats from ‘Hezbollah’ continued to emanate from there.
“As long as Hezbollah is present here and poses a threat to us, we will remain. Our order to the soldiers of the Israel Defence Forces is: if you detect a threat, act!” Netanyahu told the military.
