Hezbollah defeated, new defense minister says as rockets bombard north

Israel has defeated Hezbollah on the battlefield, says incoming Defense Minister Israel Katz at a ceremony for new Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who has taken Katz’s place.

“The blows we inflicted defeated Hezbollah and the elimination of [Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah is the crowning jewel,” he says.

Shortly before the ceremony, Hezbollah launched a barrage of 15 rockets into the Western Galilee. More rocket attacks on Metula and other areas of the north follow, without any immediate reports of injuries or damage.

Israel’s task now is to “change the security reality in the north,” says Katz.

As defense minister, Katz says, his number one task will be to prevent Iran from attaining a nuclear weapon. He also says that he will ensure that Hamas has no future role in Gaza in any arrangement to end the war.

Looking back at his 11 months as foreign minister, Katz says that “we managed to maintain legitimacy and prevent decisions by international bodies and countries that asked us to stop the war unconditionally.”