Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday that his country has defeated Hezbollah and that eliminating its leader Hassan Nasrallah was the crowning achievement.
“Now it is our job to continue to put pressure in order to bring about the fruits of that victory,” Katz said during a ceremony at Israel’s foreign ministry.
Katz said Israel is not interested in meddling in internal Lebanese politics as Israel has “learned our lessons”, but that he hoped an international coalition would capitalize on this opportunity politically and that Lebanon would join other countries in normalizing relations with Israel.
Katz formally became defense minister on Friday in a modest handover ceremony, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Yoav Gallant on Tuesday night.
Katz, in a speech, said that he was looking forward to working with the defense establishment and that he would be “the defender of the IDF.” He promised to “harness all my abilities to allow the IDF to deal with the things it needs to deal with, with full force.”
“I am sure that we will achieve victory in this campaign whose goals are to curb Iranian aggression and negate its capabilities, to continue the dismantling of Hamas as a governing and military force, and to defeat Hezbollah,” he said.
Addressing Gallant, Katz said, “We were friends and we will remain friends because we believe in the same things that will ensure the security and future of the State of Israel, the Jewish State. I promise you that the entire State of Israel will emerge from the campaign and from the pain to much higher places.”
Gallant, in his parting speech, said he was leaving the role “with great pain over the loss [of lives], and for what has not yet been completed, the return of the hostages.”
Reuters/ News Agencies
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