Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a pre-recorded statement Tuesday evening following a meeting of his political-security cabinet and ahead of the cease-fire in the north which is expected to take effect Wednesday morning according to the plan - almost a year and two months after Hezbollah joined the fighting against Israel, after the surprise attack by Hamas in the south.
"I promised you victory, and we will achieve victory. We will complete the elimination of Hamas, we will return all our hostages, we will ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel, and we will return the residents of the north safely to their homes," said the prime minister at the beginning of his statement that was recorded before the debate on approving the cease-fire in the cabinet. "The war will not end until we achieve all our goals, until we return the residents of the north safely home. It will happen, just as it happened in the south. My friends, the residents of the north, I am proud of you, your ability to endure, I am fully committed to your future."
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discusses northern cease-fire in pre-recorded statement
(Photo: GPO)
Netanyahu also detailed Israel's actions in the various sectors of the war, including the struggles against Iran, Hamas in Gaza, the terrorist organizations in the West Bank, the Houthis in Yemen and the pro-Palestinian militias in Iraq. Referring to the war in the north, Netanyahu said that "Hezbollah chose to attack us from there on October 8. We set it back decades."
"We eliminated Nasrallah; we eliminated all the senior officials of the organization and thousands of terrorists, and we destroyed most of the rocket capabilities and the infrastructure it built near our border," he added. "We have eliminated thousands of terrorists and destroyed the underground infrastructure near our border for years. We have attacked strategic targets throughout Lebanon and brought down dozens of terrorist towers in Dahieh. All of this sounded like science fiction, But it's not science fiction, we did it."
He gave three reasons for entering into a cease-fire in the north::
"The first reason is to focus on the Iranian threat, and I will not expand on that.
"The second reason is to give our forces a breather and replenish stocks. And I say it openly, it is no secret that there have been big delays in weapons and munitions deliveries. These delays will be resolved soon. We will receive supplies of advanced weaponry that will keep our soldiers safe and give us more strike force to complete our mission.
"And the third reason for having a ceasefire is to separate the fronts and isolate Hamas. From day two of the war, Hamas was counting on Hezbollah to fight by its side. With Hezbollah out of the picture, Hamas is left on its own. We will increase our pressure on Hamas and that will help us in our sacred mission of releasing our hostages."
Netanyahu said he would put the cease-fire accord to a vote of his full cabinet later in the evening, after Israeli television news reported that the more restricted security cabinet had earlier approved the deal.
"We will enforce the agreement and respond forcefully to any violation. Together, we will continue until victory," he said.
"In full coordination with the United States, we retain complete military freedom of action. Should Hezbollah violate the agreement or attempt to rearm, we will strike decisively," he said.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with the heads of the regional councils in the north
(Photo: Kobi Gideon, GPO)
He added that there were three reasons to pursue a cease-fire – to focus on Iran, replenish depleted arms supplies and give the army a rest, and finally to isolate Hamas.
U.S. President Joe Biden will deliver remarks in the White House's Rose Garden later Tuesday and is expected to announce the cease-fire, according to reports.
Netanyahu, whose last press conference he held was on September 2 after the bodies of six hostages were located, did not have to face reporters and their questions since he pre-recorded his statement. The prime minister delivered the statement after the cabinet meeting regarding the cease-fire, which US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron are expected to announce tonight after 10:00 p.m.
The cease-fire itself is expected to take effect Wednesday at 10:00 a.m., after the Lebanese government also approves it. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump was updated on the details of the agreement. A senior Lebanese official clarified to Al-Hadith that "the cease-fire agreement in Lebanon is not related to the hostages held by Hamas. The agreement is not related to the Gaza front."
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A few minutes before the cabinet meeting, the IDF launched a wave of attacks in Daheih, which in Lebanon they called "the most intense attacks since the beginning of the war." At the same time, an attack was also reported in the heart of Beirut. According to the IDF, 20 terrorist targets of Hezbollah were attacked in just 120 seconds. Among the targets were also the branches of the Hezbollah Bank.
The attacks in Dahieh - and in the center of Beirut - continued even after that. At the same time, Hezbollah launched barrages into the northern cities, and incessant alarms were heard in Haifa, Acre, Nahariya, Ma'alot and other localities. In addition, UAVs penetrated the Western Galilee with alert sirens heard from Rosh Hankara to Haifa.