Minister of Culture and Sports, Miki Zohar, said on Tuesday that Israel is determined to fight Hezbollah with all its might and eradicate the terrorist organization.
"We intend to put an end to the story called Hezbollah," the minister said in an interview on Kan Reshet Bet radio. When asked why Hezbollah continues to pose a threat to the north despite the government's statements at the end of the previous round of conflict, he said, "We defeated them by a significant margin back then, but no one said Hezbollah no longer exists."
He acknowledged, "It’s possible that Hezbollah will remain with Kalashnikov rifles in Lebanon. We can’t know for sure; that’s not the issue. But right now, there are several threats we are removing. One of them is Hezbollah’s distance from the border. We will not agree to have them positioned before the Litani River, which obviously eliminates their ability for direct fire. Even short-range rocket fire is now outside their arsenal."
Zohar argued that Hezbollah is likely to remain "with Kalashnikovs and weakened military power." He added, "It is very possible that what we want to happen in Iran will also happen with Hezbollah - that they will no longer be part of Lebanon, because that’s what the Lebanese government will do."
In order to weaken Hezbollah and enable the Lebanese state to stand against it, the minister said the IDF will have to take action against the terrorist group: "We rely first and foremost on the Holy One, Blessed Be He, and then on our army."
"We ended the 12-day war not because we wanted to. We have a very important partner in the United States and a great president, and the people of Israel should thank God for every moment he is president. I believe he has made up his mind to finish the job," he concluded.