Israeli prime minister sets 3 conditions for settlement with Hezbollah in Lebanon

By Zein Khalil
JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outlined three conditions on Monday for a settlement with the Lebanese group Hezbollah.

Speaking to the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Netanyahu called for Hezbollah to be kept away from Israel's northern border, the closure of its supply lines from Syria, and granting Israel the freedom to act in southern Lebanon.

Netanyahu framed the ongoing conflict as being waged on “seven fronts”—Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Yemen, Iran, Iraq, and Syria—all stemming from Iran as he said.

The US, Israel’s main ally, is mediating between Tel Aviv and Beirut to reach a cease-fire deal to end more than a year of attacks between Hezbollah and Israel.

According to the Israeli public broadcaster KAN, US envoy Amos Hochstein will arrive in Beirut on Tuesday to receive the Lebanese response to a US cease-fire proposal.

Hochstein is also expected to travel to Israel on Wednesday.

Israel wants any agreement to allow its army to strike against what it sees as a violation of the cease-fire terms, a condition rejected by Lebanon.

Last week, Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri confirmed that Beirut has received a US proposal for a cease-fire with Israel.

He, however, denied that the proposal “includes any kind of freedom of movement for the Israeli army in Lebanon,” a condition he described as “unacceptable” and non-negotiable. He reiterated Lebanon's refusal to compromise on its sovereignty.

Israel launched an air campaign in Lebanon against what it claims are targets of the Hezbollah group in late September, in an escalation from a year of cross-border warfare over Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.

More than 3,500 people have been killed, nearly 15,000 injured and more than 1 million displaced by Israeli attacks since last October, according to Lebanese health authorities.
Tel Aviv expanded the conflict by launching a ground assault into southern Lebanon on Oct. 1 this year.

- Gaza war

On the Israeli war on Gaza, Netanyahu claimed significant progress in diminishing Hamas' military capabilities. He, however, acknowledged that the Palestinian group still controls key functions, including the distribution of food and humanitarian aid.

Netanyahu said that Israel seeks to dismantle Hamas’ governing capacity, calling on the military to devise a strategy to prevent the movement from distributing aid in Gaza.

While Netanyahu was speaking, families of Israeli hostages in Gaza raised photos of their loved ones, leading to their removal from the hall. Opposition members interrupted his speech, with some being escorted out of the session by Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, according to Yedioth Ahronoth daily.

Regarding leaks involving his office, Netanyahu criticized the ongoing security and political leaks in Israel.

“We are witnessing endless leaks and lies,” he said. “These leaks give Hezbollah and Iran insight into internal Cabinet debates. I have never seen anything like this in the history of wars,” he said, calling for an investigation into these leaks.

On Monday, the Israeli Prisons Authority transferred Eli Feldstein, a former spokesman and aide to Netanyahu and a main suspect in the leaks, was placed under watch to prevent his possible suicide, according to Israeli media.

Feldstein is accused of stealing and leaking classified documents to foreign media, where an indictment is expected to be filed against him by Thursday, according to Israeli media.

The Israeli public broadcaster KAN said Feldstein leaked the classified documents to foreign media to influence public opinion regarding a prisoner swap deal with Palestinian factions after he failed to leak the documents to local media due to military censorship.

Israel estimates that around 101 captives are still being held by Hamas in Gaza, some of whom are believed to have been already killed by indiscriminate Israeli airstrikes across the densely populated enclave.

Mediation efforts led by the US, Egypt, and Qatar have so far failed to achieve a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap deal, but Washington maintains that Israel’s killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar on Oct. 18 may lead to a breakthrough in talks.

Hamas, however, says the conflict will only end when Israel stops its military campaign in the blockaded enclave, which has killed over 43,900 people since October 2023.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio