"The time for the north has come. We are late, I think we should make a deal to return the hostages even at a very painful price, but if we don't reach a deal in at most a few weeks, we should go to war in the north and ensure that we can return the residents to their homes," said Gantz.
He added, "We can reach this goal, even if it requires harming the state of Lebanon itself. I do not see any other way, unfortunately. Resolution 1701 was a resolution aimed at ending a war, and now we must arrive at a resolution from which onward we will act offensively proactively, against any deviation and against any threat to our borders, with emphasis on a threat of infiltration into our communities. It cannot be that after October 7th we will continue with the security policy that was before it."
"I think we made a mistake by evacuating such a large population. We should have evacuated only the settlements and kibbutzim adjacent to the border. I am also responsible for this decision, which was based on the insecurity we experienced at the beginning of the war," he emphasized.
With regard to the war in Gaza, he said that "a true victory is to return the hostages to their families and the residents to their homes. This is the basis of victory. It will take another decade of operational activity in Gaza to ensure that Hamas does not rebuild its strength. Just as we are operating in Judea and Samaria, so will it be in Gaza. I was in favor of invading Rafah much earlier, and I said so to the Americans during my visit here in March."
Gantz referred to the greater Iranian threat: "True, Hezbollah poses an operational threat, but one must remember the root of the problem – and that is Iran. Look at what is happening in Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon. If one wants to achieve a real victory, it is not just to resolve the conflict with Hamas and return the hostages, but to establish a regional alliance against the Iranian axis that has built around us armies of terror. Iran is involved in almost every conflict, from supplying drones to Russia for the war in Ukraine to supporting terrorism in Sudan and Algeria. One can only imagine what would happen if they had a nuclear umbrella. Therefore, we must continue to pressure Iran not only militarily, but also economically and politically with great force."
"This is a global mission. If there is another nuclear deal on the table, it must not only be free of the loopholes of the previous one in the areas of enrichment and missile capabilities, but also include severe restrictions on the funding and operation of its proxies. Iran is a global challenge, regional and not just a problem for Israel," he concluded. Israel National News - Arutz Sheva
