Netanyahu says he and Trump share goal to disarm Hezbollah, demilitarize Lebanon

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that he and US President Donald Trump are aligned on the goal of disarming Hezbollah in order to achieve peace between Israel and Lebanon.

Hezbollah “is an Iranian proxy that puts all the citizens of Lebanon at gunpoint and uses Lebanon as a platform to launch terror missiles into our cities, to launch killer drones against our civilians,” Netanyahu says in an interview with CNBC.

“And so if we want to save Lebanon, if we want to get a Lebanese-Israeli peace, as I do, we have to disarm Hezbollah and we have to demilitarize Lebanon. And I know that this is a goal that the president and I share, and that’s what we have to do.”

He also says Iran is “playing with fire” after the Islamic Republic carried out an attack on Kuwait.

“Iran surely knows what the president has said, that if necessary, there’ll be a full-scale return to military action,” Netanyahu says.

Asked if there is still a ceasefire following recent attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain, Netanyahu states, “You know, it’s the president’s decision. Israel is ready and the US forces are ready. I think Iran should take that into account. I think they are taking it into account, but they’re playing with fire, that’s clear.”