Gantz warns French foreign minister over attacks from Lebanon

National Unity leader and war cabinet minister Benny Gantz tells French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna that Israel will not reconcile itself to the threat posed by the Hezbollah terror militia to residents of Israel’s north.

Speaking to her by telephone, Gantz insists that Lebanon is obligated to take responsibility for terror attacks emanating from its territory, and warned that “the interest for reaching a diplomatic solution for the [Israel-Lebanese] border region is first and foremost a Lebanese interest.”

Gantz adds, “The State of Israel will do everything it needs to defend its citizens and allow them to return to their homes in safety,” in reference to the tens of thousands of Israelis who have been evacuated from the north due to the threat of Hezbollah attacks after the outbreak of war with Hamas in Gaza on October 7.

Gantz has repeated this message in numerous meetings and conversations he has held with senior foreign diplomatic and defense officials in the last two weeks, including US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, and British Foreign Minister David Cameron.