Minister Eli Cohen says Israel will control Gaza in coming months and strike Hezbollah hard in Lebanon

Cabinet minister Eli Cohen said Israel is drawing different strategic lines for Gaza and Lebanon in the ongoing war. In a Thursday morning interview with Yaki Adamkar and Israel Cohen on Radio Kol Berama, the Political and Security Cabinet member said Israel does not intend to hold territory in Lebanon, but in Gaza it will control “100 percent” of the Strip. He added that completing that shift will not take years, saying, “It will happen already in the coming months.”

Cohen also addressed the northern front and the fighting with Hezbollah, saying the old formulas for Lebanon no longer apply. He said the political leadership will no longer tolerate fire on communities along the border and in the Galilee, and stressed, “We have very clear red lines.”

According to Cohen, any shooting toward northern Israeli towns will bring a forceful response “everywhere in Lebanon,” including Beirut’s Dahiya district, which he named explicitly. His remarks were aimed at signaling that Israel will broaden its response if attacks from Lebanon continue.

The minister also referred to diplomatic pressure from the international community and the United States over the campaign in southern Lebanon. Echoing President Joe Biden’s phrasing, Cohen said that if the Americans ask Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon, Israel should tell them, “Don’t.” He added that no country has the right to demand such a move while Israel is defending its citizens.