Gantz urges Lebanese people to free themselves from ‘cancerous tumor’ of Hezbollah

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"

National Unity MKs Benny Gantz (L) and Gadi Eisenkot (2R) meet with Karmiel Mayor Moshe Koninsky (C) during a tour of the north on October 13, 2024 (Courtesy)
National Unity MKs Benny Gantz (L) and Gadi Eisenkot (2R) meet with Karmiel Mayor Moshe Koninsky (C) during a tour of the north on October 13, 2024 (Courtesy)

National Unity party chief Benny Gantz urges the Lebanese people to free themselves from the “cancerous tumor” of Hezbollah and the “chokehold” the Iranians have placed on their country.

Speaking during a tour of northern Israel, the former war cabinet minister calls on leaders to “continue and expand” the ground operation in Lebanon in order to allow displaced residents of the region to return, before making a direct appeal to Israel’s northern neighbors.

“I want to address the residents of Lebanon and the Lebanese government. The real problem doesn’t lie in southern Lebanon, but in Beirut. Hezbollah is a cancerous tumor within you that has been allowed to fester and overrun you. The time has come to take care of that cancer,” he says.

“Israel will take care of Hezbollah militarily, but this is also your time to loosen the chokehold Iran has put you in, for the sake of your social, political, and economic freedom and prosperity.”

In a further message directed to the international community, Gantz states that now “is the time to exert pressure on Beirut, not Jerusalem.”

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