Former Israeli National Security Council Head: Lebanon’s Government Left Israel No Choice Aside From Ground Operation

The morning of April 14, in Washington, diplomatic talks between Israel and Lebanon began. To provide clarity about what is going on, JINSA Distinguished Fellow Maj. Gen. (ret.) Yaakov Amidror, former head of Israel’s National Security Council, spoke to Maariv‘s Gideon Oko. He made clear that Israel does not plan on stopping its military campaign during talks, even if asked to do so by Beirut during the trilateral summit. 

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“We continue to fight Hezbollah and talk to the Lebanese. If the Lebanese were able to do what we are doing to Hezbollah, the talks would look different and there would be a point in stopping,” Amidror said.

He also dismissed the idea that the Lebanese army is any way capable of enforcing sovereignty in the south of Lebanon, and emphasized the importance of the IDF’s presence in the arena.

Amidror stated, “The Lebanese army is a worthless organization when it comes to Hezbollah; in the last year and a half, it has even been an impediment to Israel’s actions. Therefore, there is no choice. The IDF must do the job, and it is doing it.”

Meanwhile, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem called on the Lebanese government to cancel negotiations with Israel. He attacked the government’s decision to ban Hezbollah’s activities and claimed that its fighters are prepared to continue fighting.

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Amidror raised concerns about the prospect of an agreement without enforcement, as happened in the past. He described how that issue is what led to the current, incessant barrage of attacks on the residents of Israel’s north. He stated, “The IDF is forcibly dismantling Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, which the Lebanese army was supposed to do a year ago.”