Chance ‘passing’ for agreement with Lebanon, Israeli defense minister says

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) - The chance for reaching an agreement between Israel and Lebanon is running out, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told his US counterpart Lloyd Austin.

Gallant had a phone call with the US defense secretary to discuss developments along the Israeli-Lebanese border amid an exchange of attacks with the Lebanese group Hezbollah.

Gallant told Austin that the opportunity for striking a deal “is passing” due to Hezbollah's increasing alignment with Hamas, the Israeli Defense Ministry said in a statement on Monday.

He said Israel is committed to ending Hezbollah’s influence in southern Lebanon and ensuring the return of evacuated Israelis to their homes in northern Israel.

Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging cross-border fire since last October against the backdrop of a brutal offensive launched by Tel Aviv, which has killed more than 41,200 people, mostly women and children, following a Hamas attack.

The discussions between the two ministers also dwelt on efforts to reach a prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hamas. Gallant said Israel would operate “by any means” to return Israelis held captive in Gaza and to destroy Hamas, the statement said.

The talks also took up the “regional threat” posed by Yemen’s Houthi group following a missile attack on Sunday that injured at least 11 Israelis in Tel Aviv.

The Houthis have been targeting ships that are Israeli-owned, flagged, operated, or headed to Israeli ports in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden with missiles and drones in solidarity with Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul