Gantz vows to remove Hezbollah from border with Israel

Israel’s former defence minister and current war cabinet mamber Benny Gantz attends the funeral of Gal Eizenkot, the son of war cabinet member Gadi Eizenkot, who was killed in combat with Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, in Herzliya on December 8, 2023. [Photo by OREN ZIV/AFP via Getty Images]

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz warned on Friday: “If the world doesn’t get Hezbollah away from the border, Israel will do it.”

The statements by Gantz, the leader of the National Unity party, were made after a meeting with representatives of Israeli towns near the border with Lebanon.

Gantz explained to reporters: “Last week, I spoke with the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany, as well as with the United States, and with leaders from around the world, inviting them here to see the reality.”

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“I told them that we need political action alongside military action, and I say to them and also to our citizens: Israel would push Hezbollah away from Lebanese border if international community could not do so,” added Gantz.

Gantz confirmed: “We are ready for political action as well as military action here in the north, and we will fulfil our duty as a state to provide a safe life for the residents of the north and allow them to return to their homes.”

Tel Aviv has previously urged tens of thousands of Israeli residents of the border towns with Lebanon to leave their homes since the beginning of the war on the Gaza Strip on 7 October.

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