Israelis who live in the northern part of the country are running to bomb shelters yet again because they’re under continuous rocket fire from Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon. At the same time, the Israeli military continues to strike Hezbollah targets throughout Lebanon. After more than a year of war, everyone is asking: how does the war in Lebanon end?
Israel had said that its goal in this war is to create the conditions that allow for the return of more than 60,000 Israelis who fled their homes in northern Israel after Hezbollah attacked them with rockets, anti-tank missiles, and suicide drones.
What Conditions Will Allow Israelis to Return Home?
Here’s one condition: Hezbollah can’t be waiting in the hills to open fire again at a time and place of its choosing. We’re not going to sit and wait for another October 7-style massacre, which is exactly what Hezbollah was planning. In fact, Hezbollah needs to back off. It hasn’t backed off, and that’s why Israel is pushing it away.
Israel’s military success against Hezbollah has opened the door to a diplomatic end to the war in Lebanon. Israel is open to a diplomatic solution, but it can’t be a solution that brings us back to the reality that existed before Hezbollah started this war.
Israel’s Diplomatic Conditions
So what does need to happen? Israeli journalist Barak Ravid reported that Israel gave the United States a document last week with its conditions for a diplomatic solution to end the war in Lebanon. Israel is demanding that it be allowed to engage in active enforcement in Lebanon to make sure that Hezbollah doesn’t rebuild exactly as it wants to. Israel is also demanding the freedom of operation in Lebanon’s skies. Now, these are very reasonable conditions when you are living next to a designated terrorist organization.
Whoever doesn’t like these conditions needs to be clear about what really needs to happen: Hezbollah must disarm forever. If the Lebanese Army and UN forces do more to disarm Hezbollah, then the IDF will do less. If the Lebanese Army and the UN forces fail to disarm Hezbollah, then the IDF will continue its operations in Lebanon. Whoever wants peace in Lebanon must keep up the pressure on Hezbollah until it can never threaten the people of Israel again.
Disarmament and Security Measures
Hezbollah won’t be disarmed by UN resolutions with no enforcement mechanisms just out of their own free will. The Lebanese Army needs to deploy in southern Lebanon and take responsibility for what is happening there; this is a basic requirement of any sovereign country. The Lebanese Army needs to inspect a very wide variety of private properties in Lebanon, as Hezbollah uses Lebanon and private properties within it as a launching pad from which to fire upon Israel, store weapons, and for its finances.
Last night, the IDF conducted a series of targeted intelligence-based strikes against dozens of facilities in Lebanon used by Hezbollah to finance its war against Israel. Civilians in Lebanon were warned before the strike so that they could move to safer areas. Most people don’t know that Hezbollah has its own banking network in Lebanon. These Hezbollah banks operate separately from the Lebanese financial system. They are not under any supervision of the Lebanese government or the Central Bank.
Iran’s Financial Support and IDF’s Response
Hezbollah has received hundreds of millions of dollars from the Islamic Republic of Iran annually, and this money played a key role in funding Hezbollah’s war against Israel. The IDF’s strikes against Hezbollah’s banks are part of its ongoing efforts to degrade Hezbollah and prevent it from rebuilding in the future.
Deployment of THAAD Defense System
One final item, with your permission. Today, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that an advanced American anti-missile system is now in place in Israel. It’s called THAAD, which stands for Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system. It adds to Israel’s already formidable missile defense systems. Israel currently has the Iron Dome for short-range missiles, David’s Sling for medium-range missiles, and the Arrow 3 for long-range missiles. As we have seen in the past year, all of these systems are indeed needed. The THAAD is in place in case Israel needs extra protection against Iranian ballistic missiles.
A few weeks ago, Iran fired around 200 ballistic missiles at Israel. Israel is expected to respond to this Iranian attack at any moment, and Iran may respond again by firing hundreds of ballistic missiles yet again. We are fighting on seven fronts, and our relationship with our allies is more important than ever.
Q&A Session
Q1: Regarding Hostage Release Negotiations
Question: “The Israeli Prime Minister has offered amnesty in exchange for Hamas captors who let the hostages go, and at the same time, the former CEO of SodaStream has offered a cash reward for people who release hostages. Are you optimistic now that Sinwar is gone that there will be some type of hostage release agreement?”
Response: Thank you for that very important question. I’ve always said from the start that once Sinwar, the head of this atrocious operation on October 7th, is gone, this will open the path to a real solution. It’s not going to be easy, but yes, offering money, offering amnesty to those who are holding the actual hostages is one way, and it’s an important way. But also don’t forget the Egyptians—not necessarily negotiations need to take place because there isn’t necessarily a figure on the other side with whom to negotiate. But yes, the Egyptians have a very important role. They can have the intelligence; they can go in, they know the area, they know the language, they know the mentality. They can get the intelligence and know where the hostages are. And why would they do that? They have a vested interest in getting it done because they want the attack and the war to be over. As soon as we have the hostages back, things are going to look much, much more peaceful.
Q2: Regarding U.S. Special Envoy’s Statement
Question: “There’s a report in The Times of Israel that the U.S. Special Envoy for Lebanon, Amos Hochstein, has said that going back to UN Security Council resolution 1701 is not enough and a formula needs to be devised to end the conflict once and for all. Are you optimistic upon hearing this statement from the chief U.S. Diplomat on this issue?”
Response: I am optimistic hearing the statement of the American Emissary. If the IDF continues to lash out at Hezbollah and to weaken it and to disarm it and to destroy its financial assets and to destroy its weapons and the storage places—that makes me optimistic because the harder we hit them, the more likely they are to be able to actually come to some kind of an agreement. I am not optimistic that without the continued pressure, military pressure, they will agree to anything. And 1701 has been in place for 18 years already. It is a UN resolution that was supposed to be carried out by the UN peacekeeping forces, and it has not been actually carried out neither by Hezbollah nor by the UN peacekeeping forces. And therefore, that alone is not enough. There needs to be a comprehensive agreement, but a continued pressure, military pressure by the IDF.
Q3: Regarding Iranian Espionage in Israel
Question: “Many people on our live streams, whether Instagram or YouTube or X, are asking a question about news that was breaking just recently that seven Israelis were arrested for spying on behalf of Iran and helping Iran target IDF military bases. What are your thoughts on this story and Iran’s efforts to wage war in a sophisticated way on seven fronts against Israel?”
Response: So I have been writing, speaking, and explaining for a very long time the modus vivendi of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s way of going about to make sure that its ideology is carried through. The ideology, I remind everyone, is to control the world and make it into a Sharia-based radical Islamic caliphate. I know it sounds like science fiction, but it is what it is. And in order to do that, what they do in the Islamic Republic of Iran is disintegrate countries from within. In the chaos and the instability, they go in, and they start to do things with the population inside the territory and so on. That’s what they did in Lebanon, in Syria, in Iraq, in Yemen, and so on, and that’s what they’ve been trying to do with Israeli civilians, both Arab and Jewish, for a very long time. And unfortunately, they have succeeded with some people, and there are investigations going on about this, and this obviously must stop by the security apparatuses of Israel. But yes, that’s their modus vivendi, and they are doing the same thing in the West, in Europe, in every one of your countries, and in the U.S. and in Canada—that’s what they do.
Q4: Regarding Egyptian Assistance in Hostage Rescue
Question: “We have two questions about Egypt: one from someone watching on YouTube, another from Instagram. How do we know that the hostages aren’t in Egypt, and is the Egyptian Army going to help us rescue the hostages? What role is Egypt currently playing now that Sinwar is out of the picture, and there’s a lot of talk about a potential hostage release deal?”
Response: The interest of the Egyptians, one needs to understand, is stability because the current situation is very much a problem for Egypt on two grounds. One, their fear of a leakage of the Palestinian population from the Gaza Strip into Rafah, the Egyptian side of Rafah. They don’t want the Palestinians on their side; they don’t trust them, they hate Hamas. They believe that if the Palestinians will be in their territory, more instability and more attempts to actually attack the regime in Egypt would ensue. So they don’t want a continuation of the hostilities. And second of all, they don’t want the war to continue because it hurts them financially and economically from the seaside and in terms of the stability and the leisure and the tourism in Egypt, which is a significant income for the country, and it is already in economic problems. So they want the war to finish as soon as possible. Because they have that interest, they should, and they can, and they have the capabilities and the know-how to go inside the Gaza Strip, find the hostages, and give their whereabouts to the Israelis or to the Americans in order to get them out, whether with money to the captors or with amnesty to the captors. But the know-how about where those hostages are can be held by the Egyptians, and because they have a vested interest in stopping the war, I believe that there is a greater chance now that Sinwar is gone that they could do so.
Q5: Regarding Flight Suspensions to Israel
Question: “I’m reading a headline right now in The Times of Israel that Lanza has suspended flights until November 10. It’s very common to read about suspended flights to Israel. What is your message to people around the world who would like to connect with Israel but have a difficult time coming right now?”
Response: There are so many ways to connect with Israel at this day and age. First of all, in spirit—in standing for Israel, in actually explaining everything that we’ve been explaining on a daily basis and giving you information. But also, read. Diversify your sources on Twitter, on LinkedIn, on Facebook, etc. Read and try not to rely on the mass media from Al Jazeera and from the BBC, which really distorts the truth, unfortunately. You can explain the narrative; you can be an ambassador for Israel. You don’t necessarily need to physically come here in order to be able to help. You can do that in your language, to journalists, to decision-makers, to politicians. You can write to decision-makers. You can also write and suggest some issues if you have amazing ideas, and we can try and answer that. Just the fact that you want to help doesn’t mean you need to physically come here; you have the ability to help, and I believe strongly that each and every one who is actually watching cares enough and has the spirit and the ability to make a difference amid their own circles. So thank you for asking, and good luck with doing everything that you can.
Closing Remarks
Thank you so much for being with us. We’re going to be here tomorrow yet again, as always, at 3 p.m. Israel time, and we’re waiting to see you yet again.
