Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented the Israeli strategy behind the ten-day ceasefire with Lebanon in a statement to the media this evening (Thursday).
Netanyahu defined the moment as "an opportunity to make a historic peace agreement with Lebanon" that was born as a result of a fundamental change in the balance of power in the region.
Netanyahu began by reviewing the moves that led to the current point: "We activated the beepers, eliminated a stockpile of 150,000 rockets and missiles intended to destroy Israeli cities, and eliminated Nasrallah. The balance has changed as we began to receive calls from Lebanon last month for direct peace talks - something that has not happened in over 40 years.".
The Prime Minister explained that the 10-day ceasefire is actually a "time-out" intended to advance the peace agreement, the details of which began to be discussed at the Washington summit.
Israel's two basic demands are - disarmament of Hezbollah and a peace agreement based on strength.
Netanyahu revealed that he firmly rejected Hezbollah's demands for a full withdrawal to the international border and a "quiet for quiet" agreement.
""I agreed to neither this nor that," he clarified.
He added that the IDF will remain in a wide security zone in southern Lebanon: "We remain in Lebanon in a thickened security zone. It's not the five points that were before 'The Roar of the Harrier.' A security zone ten kilometers thick, which is much stronger.".
In the statement, Netanyahu also addressed Iran and his talks with Trump, saying that the US president is determined to continue the naval blockade and work to dismantle its nuclear capabilities.
""He is confident that he can eliminate this threat once and for all," he said. He added that Israel will continue to act against threats and threats.
