Israel presses Hezbollah disarmament with force, diplomacy | JQJO

Israel – During Israel’s national day of remembrance for fallen soldiers and victims of terror, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended a ceremony at which Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel’s campaign in Lebanon combines sustained military pressure with diplomatic efforts to compel Hezbollah to disarm. Katz said the main objective is to remove the security threat facing northern Israeli communities by ensuring that Hezbollah can no longer launch attacks from southern Lebanon. He stressed that Israel views disarmament as an obligation that the Lebanese government has already undertaken and must now enforce, rather than as a new demand.

Israel – Katz warned that Israel would continue to use force if necessary, pledging that the Israel Defense Forces would respond to rocket and drone fire from across Lebanon, including areas north of the Litani River, in the same way it responds to attacks from the border region. He added that if the Lebanese authorities do not act to disarm Hezbollah, Israel will pursue ongoing military operations to achieve that goal itself. His comments came as a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah remained in place, with Israeli troops still deployed in a 5 to 10 kilometer strip of Lebanese territory, both sides accusing each other of violating the truce, and U.S.-mediated talks continuing in an effort to extend the ceasefire while Israeli officials kept repeating that Hezbollah must be disarmed.