From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Gantz throws support behind Lebanon offensive
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
During a tour of northern Israeli, National Unity chairman Benny Gantz reiterates his support for the government’s actions in Lebanon and his previous call for a ground operation if Hezbollah does not back down.
Expressing support for the residents of the north who are under Hezbollah rocket fire, Gantz says in a video message that he “would like to reiterate [that] Israel is completely right and the government and the security forces have broad and full backing to continue to act until we restore security and the residents can return.
“If Nasrallah does not stop the fire, we will also have to enter [Lebanese] territory to allow the return of our residents,” he says.
Israel’s red line “must not be Tel Aviv,” he continues, saying that just “as in the south our red line is Kerem Shalom and Sderot, so in the north our line is Metula, Shlomi and Kiryat Shmona. Only when the residents can return there safely can we stop the fighting.”
During his visit, the former war cabinet minister toured Haifa, Kiryat Tivon and Kiryat Bialik, where he was shown a street on which several houses suffered direct hits.
