Israel's newly appointed minister of defense made a bold statement on Sunday, asserting that his country has successfully defeated Hezbollah, the Lebanese terrorist organization. The minister highlighted the elimination of Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, as a significant achievement. Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike on September 27, targeting the group's headquarters in southern Beirut.
Furthermore, the Israeli military announced the elimination of Hashem Safieddine, a key figure expected to assume leadership of Hezbollah after Nasrallah's demise. The defense minister, Israel Katz, emphasized the need to maintain pressure to solidify the victory.
Katz clarified that Israel aims to avoid interference in Lebanese internal affairs, citing past lessons. He expressed hope for international collaboration to leverage the current situation for political progress, including the normalization of relations between Lebanon and Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to replace the defense minister, Yoav Gallant, with Katz coincided with ongoing conflicts involving Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and tensions with Iran.
Gallant revealed disagreements with Netanyahu on key issues, such as military conscription, hostage negotiations, and intelligence failures preceding Hamas attacks in 2023.
Israeli forces conducted airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, focusing on the area where Safieddine was eliminated. In response, Hezbollah launched rockets into northern Israel and claimed responsibility for a drone attack on Netanyahu's residence.
