The Lebanese group is "heading in the direction" of Hamas, which Israel will dismantle, the defense minister told Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
(September 16, 2024 / JNS) Amid fresh rocket fire from Lebanon, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday told his American counterpart Lloyd Austin that time was running out for an agreed-upon de-escalation with Hezbollah.
“The possibility of a settlement in the north is passing. Hezbollah continues to tie itself to Hamas. The direction is clear,” Gallant told Austin in an overnight phone call, Israel’s Defense Ministry said.
The call follows an escalation in the hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, which have exchanged fire since Oct. 8, when Hezbollah began offensive action in solidarity with Hamas’s invasion of the northwestern Negev. Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets into Israel on Sunday and more rockets on Monday. Israel struck terrorist targets in Southern Lebanon both times.