Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged Israeli responsibility for Hezbollah’s exploding communications gear in September during Sunday’s Cabinet meeting.
The meeting, the first since the dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Netanyahu said many senior political and security figures opposed the operation, as well as the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah blew up on Sept. 17 and 18, killing 42 people and injuring an estimated 3,500 people, mostly Hezbollah operatives. Israel never officially claimed responsibility for the attack, nor has it been clarified exactly how and when the devices were sabotaged.
Presumably alluding to Gallant, Netanyahu said, “When I wanted to eliminate Nasrallah, enter Rafah and other things – there were those who opposed it in the cabinet. One of the claims was the reluctance of the United States to cooperate. I did not agree and went all the way. There are insiders and outsiders who lie about the deal to release hostages. They lie about the families.”
Gallant’s firing led to a shuffling of Cabinet positions, with Israel Katz becoming Defense Minister and Gideon Sa’ar becoming Foreign Minister. The two are tasked with spearheading Israel’s multi-front war and diplomacy against Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran and Tehran’s proxies in Yemen, Iraq and Syria.
After the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, Hezbollah began firing rockets and launching drones at northern Israel communities daily. More than 68,000 residents of northern Israel are displaced from their homes. Hezbollah leaders have repeatedly said they would continue the attacks to prevent Israelis from returning to their homes.
According to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War, the terror group is forbidden from operating in southern Lebanon.
At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 97 remaining hostages, more than 30 have been declared dead. Hamas has also been holding captive two Israeli civilians since 2014 and 2015, and the bodies of two soldiers killed in 2014.
Image - Reuters