Defense Minister Israel Katz meets with UN special coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, telling her that Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem is “playing with fire.”
“Naim Qassem is playing with fire, and [President Joseph] Aoun is gambling with Lebanon’s future. There will be no reality of a ceasefire in Lebanon alongside fire on our forces and on the communities of the Galilee,” Katz tells Hennis-Plasschaert, according to remarks issued by the minister’s office.
Katz says that “if the Lebanese government continues to shelter under the shadow of the Hezbollah terror organization, fire will burn the cedars of Lebanon.”
“The fire will burn Hezbollah and all of Lebanon,” he says.
“The Lebanese government must ensure that Hezbollah is disarmed, first of all south of the Litani [River]… and afterward throughout all of Lebanon,” Katz adds.
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From the Liveblog of
Monday, April 27, 2026
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