Ben Gvir Demands Cabinet Vote on Lebanon Deal, Says Hezbollah Will Not Be Disarmed

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on Saturday night called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bring the agreement with Lebanon to a cabinet vote. Ben Gvir, who has opposed the deal for weeks, said he believes it is a “big mistake” that would endanger Israel’s security.

“I already approached the prime minister tonight and asked for a cabinet vote, and I have been fighting the agreement for weeks,” Ben Gvir said. He argued that even if the IDF remains in most of the area for now, Lebanon cannot be trusted to fulfill its commitments.

His main objection was that “Lebanon will not disarm Hezbollah.” Ben Gvir said Lebanon will not remove Hezbollah’s weapons, noted that Hezbollah members sit in the Lebanese government, and insisted Israel cannot rely on Lebanon to take the group’s arms away. He added, “Only IDF soldiers will destroy Hezbollah, no other body will do that for us.”

Netanyahu, meanwhile, held a press conference Saturday night describing the agreement as a “historic achievement” that could lead toward a peace agreement. He said the United States and Lebanon recognized Israel’s right to maintain a security buffer zone, and called the deal “a blow to Iran and Hezbollah.”