Cabinet Minister Says Lebanon Talks Aim to Strip Hezbollah’s Weapons
Cabinet minister and Innovation, Science and Technology Minister Gila Gamliel said in a Friday interview that Israel’s talks in Washington with Lebanon are meant to create a reality in which the Lebanese Army, with U.S. help, disarms Hezbollah. She said the plan includes a pilot of Lebanese sovereignty in areas cleared by the IDF, and argued that Hezbollah would have to face the Lebanese government rather than the Israeli military.
Gamliel said the negotiations could shift the balance against Iran and produce a durable agreement. She also defended the ceasefire restrictions on troops, saying the IDF still has full freedom of action against any real threat. According to her, soldiers are not only allowed but required to neutralize dangers they identify on the ground, in order to secure Israel’s northern communities over the long term.
She said Israel has already dealt a severe blow to Hezbollah, including harming about half of the Radwan Force and most of its missile arsenal, and is now trying to convert those military gains into a political opening. On Iran, she said the Islamic Republic’s days are numbered, dismissed Washington-Tehran talks as stalling tactics, and declared, “This regime will fall in Iran.” She added that Iran will not obtain nuclear weapons, and said support from the Evangelical community in the United States strengthens her belief that policy will improve after the midterm elections.
Turning to Gaza, Gamliel reiterated that voluntary emigration is, in her view, the eventual solution for the Strip. She said the process will take time and is proceeding alongside the removal of tunnels and missiles, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is determined to carry out a “general cleanup” rather than temporary fixes. She said Israel is close to 70 percent control in Gaza. She also warned that Turkey is becoming a real future threat, and backed Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s push to recognize the Armenian genocide, saying the time is right on moral grounds.
