Israel israel is planning to disarm the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah “by military and diplomatic” means, Israeli Minister Defence Israel Kats said today.
“The strategic goal of the campaign in Lebanon is to disarm Hezbollah (…) through a combination of military and diplomatic means,” Kats said during a ceremony marking Israel’s national day in honor of soldiers killed in the war.
A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect on Friday, although there have been several incidents since then, and new “direct” talks between Lebanon and Israel are scheduled to take place on Thursday in Washington, a few days after a first meeting of the two countries’ ambassadors, a American diplomatic spokesman told AFP yesterday (Monday).
But the Israeli defence minister threatened that Israeli military operations in Lebanon would continue if the Lebanese government “continues to disregard its obligations.”
“We will react in the same way against fire” coming from Lebanon, Katz noted.
On Monday, an army spokesman for the Israeli army had asked residents of several villages in southern Lebanon not to return to their homes, complaining that Hezbollah’s activities in the area were a violation of the ceasefire.
