Israel’s Gantz calls for war with Lebanon if prisoner exchange agreement not reached

A former member of Israel’s war cabinet and head of the opposition National Camp bloc, Benny Gantz, has called for war with Lebanon if a ceasefire agreement and prisoner exchange deal with Hamas is not reached in the near future.

Speaking at the Middle East American Dialogue (MEAD) conference in Washington on Sunday night, Gantz said: “Time has come for the north. We are late, and I believe that we must implement a deal to return the hostages, even if it comes at a very painful price, but if we do not reach that within days or a few weeks, we must escalate to war in the north and ensure that we can return the residents to their homes.”

“We can achieve this goal, even if it requires targeting the state of Lebanon itself, and I see no other way, unfortunately,” he added.

Gantz also said that “military operations in Gaza will take another decade, in order to ensure that Hamas does not rebuild its strength again.”

According to him, while Hezbollah poses a threat to Israel, one must keep in mind that the root of the problem is Iran.

“We must continue to pressure Iran, not only militarily, but also economically and politically, and with tremendous force, and this is a global mission,” he added.

Israeli media reported that Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Washington, Rima Bint Bandar Bin Sultan Al Saud, attended Gantz’s speech at the conference.

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