![Israel must continue to be able to deter Hezbollah, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar stressed on Wednesday, speaking amid efforts to reach a ceasefire with Iran's Lebanese terrorist proxy. "We need to keep the freedom to act if there will be violations. And we will have to act in time, before the problem will grow," the minister told a gathering of nearly 100 foreign ambassadors in Jerusalem, the Times of Israel reported. A deal to end more than a year of fighting on the northern border must be durable, Sa'ar said, saying Jerusalem “would like to reach an agreement that will stand the test of time." He added that a ceasefire would be an "opportunity" for Lebanon to regain its sovereignty after the Israeli military severely degraded the Iranian-backed group in recent months. He called for the Lebanese Armed Forces to be strengthened and urged the international community to invest more in the economically devastated country, which is drowning in debt following years of mismanagement and corruption. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz also emphasized on Wednesday the necessity for Jerusalem to be able to act against any Hezbollah threats that may arise after a ceasefire deal is implemented. “The condition for any political settlement in Lebanon is the preservation of the intelligence capability and the preservation of the [IDF’s] right to act and protect the citizens of Israel from Hezbollah,” Katz said. Meanwhile, U.S. special envoy Amos Hochstein remained in Beirut for a second day on Wednesday to discuss "technical details" of an American ceasefire proposal with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who heads the Hezbollah-allied Amal movement. President Joe Biden's point man in the Land of the Cedars announced he would travel to Israel on Wednesday night, speaking after he made "additional progress" in a second meeting with Berri. Hochstein was scheduled to meet with Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer shortly after his arrival, followed by a tête-à-tête with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the following day. “The meeting today built on the meeting yesterday, and made additional progress,” Hochstein said. “So I will travel from here in a couple hours to Israel to try to bring this to a close if we can.” The Biden envoy added that he will work with the incoming Trump administration on ceasefire efforts, saying that he has kept the president-elect's transition team informed of progress. Hochstein described as "very productive" his meetings with Lebanese officials on Tuesday. “We have a real opportunity to end the conflict, and now is the moment to decide. We are committed to doing everything we can to work with Lebanon and Israel to end this conflict,” Hochstein said at a press conference on Tuesday. Hochstein also met on Tuesday with Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and he was scheduled to meet with Lebanese Armed Forces commander Gen. Joseph Aoun. Mikati emphasized that Lebanon’s primary objectives are achieving a ceasefire and safeguarding its sovereignty. He highlighted the need to implement international resolutions and bolster the Lebanese Armed Forces in the southern part of the country. Lebanon delivered its written response to the latest U.S. proposal on Monday. According to Ali Hassan Khalil, an aide to Berri, the response included “comments” that were “presented in a positive atmosphere.” He did not provide details on the nature of the comments, saying only that they “affirm the precise adherence to [U.N. Security Council] Resolution 1701 with all its provisions,” according to Reuters. Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said in a speech on Wednesday that the terrorist group had "read the ceasefire proposal. "We have our comments, and Nabih Berri has comments, and ours and the Lebanese government's comments are, Inshallah ['God willing'], identical," Qassem said. "We have decided not to discuss these ceasefire proposals or our comments in the media. All I will say is that Israeli is trying to obtain through negotiations what it couldn't through war." The terrorist leader vowed to “continue our efforts on the ground, whether the negotiations succeed or not. “We are confronting a savage enemy, and we will remain on the ground, no matter the cost, as we will also increase the cost for the enemy. We are facing Israeli human monsters supported by American human monsters,” threatened Qassem. Disarm and retreat Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War, stipulated that Hezbollah must disarm and retreat north of the Litani River, but was never enforced. The Litani lies some 20 miles from the Israel-Lebanon border. Its enforcement, along with Israeli freedom of operation in Lebanon should Hezbollah violate the terms of a ceasefire agreement, are the key sticking points in the current negotiations. Netanyahu emphasized during a speech in the Knesset plenum on Monday that Israel will not allow Hezbollah to “return to the state it was in on Oct. 6, 2023. “We will be required, in order to ensure our security in the north, to systematically carry out operations—not only against Hezbollah’s attacks, which could come. Even if there is a ceasefire, nobody can guarantee it will hold. So it’s not only our reaction, a preventive reaction, a reaction in the wake of attack but also the capacity to prevent Hezbollah from strengthening,” he said. Hezbollah has launched some 16,000 rockets, missiles and drones from Lebanon at Israel since joining the war in support of Hamas on Oct. 8, 2023, a day after the Gaza-based terrorist group’s massacre in southern Israel. More than 60,000 residents of northern Israel remain internally displaced due to the ongoing rocket and drone attacks from Lebanon. Seventy-six people in northern Israel have been killed by Hezbollah cross-border rocket, missile and drone attacks since the start of the war, including 31 soldiers and six foreign citizens, according to the latest data provided by the Prime Minister’s Office, updated on Sunday. In addition, 729 people have been wounded, including 497 civilians and 232 soldiers. Of these, 29 civilians and 37 soldiers were severely injured; 63 civilians and 38 soldiers were moderately injured and 405 civilians and 157 soldiers were lightly injured. Hezbollah’s leadership has been left in tatters following a series of targeted killings by Israel, including that of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut on Sept. 27. This was preceded by Israeli sabotage of Hezbollah communication devices that killed 39 people and wounded more than 3,400 members of the terrorist group. Israel has been waging a devastating aerial campaign against Hezbollah throughout Lebanon, including its stronghold of Dahieh south of Beirut. According to Israeli estimates, the terrorist group has lost most of its arsenal to the ongoing strikes. Then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in late October that Hezbollah had lost an estimated 80%-plus of its long-range rockets since the start of the war. Israel also continues to battle Hamas terrorists in Gaza. The terrorist group still holds 101 hostages in the Strip, 97 of whom were kidnapped on Oct. 7. Many of the captives are believed to be dead. Brazil summit Meanwhile, G20 leaders gathered in Rio de Janeiro for a summit put out a joint statement on Monday calling for “comprehensive” ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon. The leaders of the world’s biggest economies called for U.S. proposals to end fighting in Gaza and free the hostages, and one for Lebanon “that enables citizens to return safely to their homes on both sides of the Blue Line.” The 13-point U.S. proposal presented to Lebanese officials on Nov. 14 includes a 60-day truce, during which Lebanon would redeploy its troops along the border. The proposal also calls for Moscow to prevent Hezbollah from resupplying itself via Syrian land routes. Hezbollah would retreat north of the Litani River, with the border area then being under control of the Lebanese Armed Forces, overseen by the United States and Britain. Israeli officials are emphasizing, however, that the Israel Defense Forces must retain freedom of operation in Lebanon to thwart attempts by Hezbollah to violate the agreement and rearm and reestablish itself. A senior Israeli diplomatic official told Israel Hayom on Saturday that the IDF will retain operational freedom to respond to any security threats from across the northern border, regardless of any diplomatic arrangements. However, a source close to Hezbollah told The Washington Post that the group’s “condition for progress remains clear: Israel must be prohibited from conducting operations within Lebanese territory.” Berri emphasized at the time that any ceasefire agreement must not include the ability for Israel to attack by land, sea or air, Channel 12 reported. “Otherwise, what’s the purpose of an agreement?” he remarked. Another sticking point is Lebanon’s objection to the United Kingdom and Germany monitoring the implementation of U.N. Resolution 1701. Beirut reportedly favors the United States and France. If the ceasefire efforts fail, there are plans in the works to expand ground operations in Lebanon, an Israeli military official told the Post. Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer discussed the proposal with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump during a visit to his Florida estate earlier this month, as well as with senior Biden administration officials in Washington. Dermer also traveled to Russia to discuss the ceasefire proposal. Tehran is telling its Lebanese terrorist proxy Hezbollah that it supports ending the war against Israel, The New York Times reported over the weekend. Ali Larijani, senior adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, met with senior Lebanese officials in Beirut on Nov. 15 to discuss the matter. Two Iranians affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps told the Times that Larijani conveyed messages to Hezbollah from Khamenei that he supported the end of the war and that the regime would assist with rebuilding the terrorist group’s forces and recovering from the war.](https://jewishwebsite.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Gideon-Saar-1320x880-2-218x150.jpg "Sa’ar: Israel must be free to act against Hezbollah truce violations")
After a number of delays as a result of Thursday’s terrorist attacks in Kabul, Afghanistan, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and U.S. President Joe Biden managed to sit for two meetings at the White House on Friday morning.
The first one started at 11:06 a.m., when the two leaders got to know each other for the first time, followed by a brief address to the media in the Oval Office just short of an hour later before starting another, expanded bilateral meeting where the pair was joined by members of their staff.
The two men had spoken on the phone the previous day after their original meeting was canceled, with Bennett expressing his condolences for the 13 U.S. military personnel who died in the attack, in addition to the 18 who were wounded.
Biden then said that he and Bennett had already become fast friends after their meeting.
He said that they talked about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, as well as vaccination booster shots, which Israel has begun providing for its citizens aged 60 years and older, or who have certain immune or other medical issues. Biden said the United States will likely start to offer the same as early as Sept. 20, pending approval by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
He also reiterated America’s firm commitment to Israel’s security, including his support for replenishing Israel’s supply of Iron Dome interceptor missiles.
‘Work together to build a better future’
The conversation invariably turned to Iran with Biden saying that Washington is committed to preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, despite ongoing efforts to bring Iran back into compliance under the 2015 nuclear deal, officially the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“We’re putting diplomacy first and seeing where that takes us,” said Biden. “But if diplomacy fails, we’re ready to turn to other options.”
Additional topics of discussion, said the president, included how to expand developing ties between Israel and its Arab neighbors, which got a major jump-start with last year’s Abraham Accords; how to advance peace between Israelis and Palestinians; and helping Israel fulfill the requirements to be added to the Visa Waiver Program.
“Mr. Prime Minister, I want to thank you again for coming. The U.S. will always be there for Israel,” Biden told Bennett. “It’s an unshakable partnership between our two nations, and I have known every Israeli prime minister since Golda Meir—gotten to know them fairly well—and I look forward to us establishing a strong personal relationship.”
Bennett then addressed the president in English, again repeating his condolences to the United States on behalf of the Israeli people.
“The American service members lost their lives while on a mission to save other people’s lives, and that’s the very definition of courage and sacrifice. May they rest in peace,” said Bennett. “Especially on this day, I want to be crystal-clear: Israel always stands together with the United States of America unequivocally. I also want to thank you for your warm words now in our private meeting, which attests to your support of the State of Israel, but that’s not new. It’s been decades, and you’ve always stood up for us, especially during tough times like a few months ago, when thousands of rockets were being shot on Israeli towns and cities. And that’s when friendship is really tested.”
Bennett said that he comes from Israel’s capital, Jerusalem, with a new spirit of goodwill, hope, decency, honesty, unity and bipartisanship, reflected in his governing coalition that is made up of multiple, often opposing parties.
“Yet we all share the deep passion to work together to build a better future for Israel,” he said.
Bennett outlined some of the challenges faced by the Jewish state, which he said is bordered by the terror groups ISIS, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad on its southern border, Hezbollah on its northern border and Iranian-backed militias all around it.
“And all of them want to kill us—kill Israelis. They all want to annihilate the Jewish state,” he said. “And that’s why Israel always has to be overwhelmingly stronger than any of our enemies, and indeed, of all our enemies combined.”
Along those lines, he thanked Biden for supporting Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge.
As far as Iran goes, Bennett said he was happy to hear Biden say it will never acquire a nuclear weapon, mentioning that there are other options to stop Iran if the diplomatic option the United States supports does not work.
“We’ve developed a comprehensive strategy that we’re going to be talking about with two goals. The first goal is to stop Iran on its regional aggression and start rolling it back into the box. And the second is to permanently keep Iran away from ever being able to break out a nuclear weapon,” he said, though he did not detail how this will be accomplished during the press availability.
Bennett then talked about Israel’s success in giving a COVID booster to its citizens, which began a month ago. So far, almost 3 million Israelis have received a third shot.
“The bottom line is its safe, and it works,” he said. “The good news, finally, is that the tide is turning in Israel.”
‘Ancient Jewish prophecy is Israel reality’
He ended the meeting by citing part of a Haftarah from the prophet Isaiah—first in Hebrew and then translated into English—, that will be read over Shabbat.
“What this means is, the sons and daughters of the Jewish people are going to come back to our land, are going to nurse our ancient land and rebuild it,” said Bennett. “And this ancient Jewish prophecy is today’s Israel reality. And it’s a miracle that you’ve been so central and so part of it for so many years.”
The two leaders did not answer any questions from the press, who were ushered out prior to the beginning of the expanded bilateral meeting.
Bennett was joined in the expanded bilateral meeting by National Security Advisor Eyal Hulata; Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan; senior advisor to the prime minister Shimrit Meir; military secretary to the prime minister Major Gen. Avil Gil; the prime minister’s chief of staff Tal Gan-Zvi; and his cabinet secretary Shalom Shlomo.
The president was joined by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken; National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan; U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield; Brett McGurk, deputy assistant to the president and coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa on the National Security Council; Barbara Leaf, special assistant to the president and senior director for the Middle East and North Africa on the National Security Council; and Michael Ratney, chargé d’affaires of the U.S. embassy in Israel.