Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu threatens Hezbollah with 'diplomacy'

The weekly regular Cabinet Meeting was held under the chairmanship of Netanyahu. It was noted that War Cabinet member Benny Gantz and 2 other ministers did not attend the meeting.

ATTACKS ON GAZA DISCUSSED

It is stated that Gantz and 2 ministers from his party did not attend the Cabinet Meeting due to the tension with Netanyahu.

Speaking before the Cabinet Meeting, Netanyahu made assessments regarding the plan to return displaced Israelis to their homes in the north due to the tension with Hezbollah, and the attacks on Gaza.

EMPHASIS ON 'CONTINUING ATTACKS ON GAZA'

Stating that they are determined to safely return the Israelis displaced due to the tension with Hezbollah on the Lebanese border to their homes, Netanyahu said, "If we can succeed, we will do it through diplomatic means; if we cannot, we will work through other means." Prime Minister Netanyahu said that they would continue the attacks on Gaza until all goals are achieved.

US President Joe Biden’s advisor Amos Hochstein had traveled to Tel Aviv to de-escalate the rising tension with Hezbollah following the killing of senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut.

It was alleged that Israeli officials informed US President Joe Biden’s Senior Advisor Amos Hochstein that they were determined to resort to the option of a military operation against Hezbollah if diplomatic efforts failed.

THREAT TO HEZBOLLAH

Former Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and War Cabinet member Benny Gantz announced in their statements on December 28 that Tel Aviv could take new steps if the tension with Hezbollah on the Lebanese border is not resolved through diplomacy.

Clashes have been occurring from time to time on the border between the Israeli army and Hezbollah since October 8. In these clashes, 28 Lebanese civilians and 129 Hezbollah members, as well as 5 Israeli civilians and 9 Israeli soldiers according to the statement of Israeli forces, have died.

The targeting of a Hamas office by forces affiliated with the Tel Aviv administration in the Dahiyeh district, known as the "stronghold of Hezbollah" in Beirut, with an airstrike on January 2, killing Deputy Chairman of the Political Bureau Saleh al-Arouri, had raised concerns that the ongoing controlled clashes between Hezbollah and Israel could turn into an all-out war.

News Source: AA