by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – At the MEAD Conference in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, former War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz stated that Israel should consider launching an offensive against Hezbollah within “days or a few weeks” if negotiations for a hostage deal with Hamas fail.
On Sunday night, during an interview with Dan Senor, author and host of the “Call Me Back” podcast at the Middle East—America Dialogue Summit (MEAD), Gantz shared his insights on the role of diplomacy in the Middle East.
“The time for action in the north has come, and we are late on this – and we should seek to have a deal to get our hostages out, but if we cannot get it in the coming time, I would say – I won’t limit it to days or few weeks or whatever it is – we should go up north and take care, and make sure we can get our people back to their homes, I don’t think we should delay it anymore,” Gantz said.
“In Gaza, we have crossed a decisive point of the campaign,” Gantz continued. “We can conduct anything we want in Gaza. We should seek to have a deal to get out our hostages, but if we cannot in the coming time, a few days or few weeks, or whatever it is, we should go up north.”
Gantz, chairman of the National Unity Party, directly addressed the pressing issue of Iran, highlighting its financial support for proxy groups and underscoring the urgent need to confront both the Iranian nuclear program and its funding of terrorist organizations.
“While Hezbollah poses an operational threat, we must remember that Iran is the core issue. Look at the situations in Iraq, Yemen, and Lebanon. Achieving real victory isn’t just about resolving the Hamas issue and recovering hostages; it’s about forming a regional alliance against the Iranian axis that has established terror cells around us.
“Iran is involved in almost every conflict, from supplying UAVs to Russia for use in Ukraine to supporting terrorism in Sudan and Algeria. The prospect of Iran with nuclear capabilities is concerning. We must maintain pressure on Iran – not just militarily but economically and politically with great intensity. This is a global responsibility. Any future nuclear deal must address enrichment and launch capabilities and impose severe restrictions on funding and operating proxies. Iran presents a global and regional challenge, not just an Israeli concern.”
“This war has shown that we need to increase military, diplomatic, and economic pressure on Iran and that we cannot accept an agreement that only addresses nuclear issues but must also include restrictions on funding and operating proxies.”
Following the Hamas invasion, Gantz and his party joined an emergency unity government, although they departed in June. He acknowledged that mistakes were made during the initial response and admitted to bearing some responsibility for those missteps.
Gantz admitted that the large-scale evacuation of the northern population was an error, stating, “We should have only evacuated the communities and kibbutzim right next to the border. I am also responsible for this decision, which stemmed from the insecurity we experienced at the beginning of the war.”
Israel evacuated approximately 80,000 residents from towns and communities within a 3-mile radius of the border, including the city of Kiryat Shmona. Around 60,000 residents remain displaced, with most staying in government-subsidized hotels.
“We must ensure that residents can return to their homes. We can achieve this goal, even if it means damaging Lebanon itself. Unfortunately, I don’t see another way.”
“We must now move toward a resolution where we proactively strike in response to any violation or threat to our borders, especially the threat of infiltrations into our towns,” Gantz stated.
The threat of war with Hezbollah appears imminent, as Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou-Habib revealed this past week in an interview with Al Jazeera. He stated that “Israel has conveyed a message to us through intermediaries, stating that it is not interested in a cease-fire in Lebanon, even after a cease-fire is reached in Gaza.”
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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