In an interview with Arutz Sheva-Israel National News, Religious Zionism Party chairman and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich addressed the fighting in southern Lebanon, praised the security forces' operations, and sharply criticized opposition figures.
Smotrich said IDF soldiers and commanders are operating with courage and determination, achieving significant successes while systematically clearing the area adjacent to the border.
He accused opposition members of being "irresponsible people who are willing to harm the security of the State of Israel," claiming they are sowing fear among the troops.
"IDF soldiers are fighting with tremendous courage. They are achieving tremendous successes, protecting the residents of the north and safeguarding their security," he said, adding that alongside those achievements, there have also been fallen soldiers and wounded troops, to whom the State of Israel owes a tremendous debt.
Smotrich dismissed claims that IDF casualties are the result of pressure from the US administration.
"There is no such thing. We know how to stand firm on our security interests, both those of the residents of the north and, no less importantly, those of IDF soldiers," he said.
He also called for an end to what he described as "cheap populism" and the political exploitation of the fighting.
"No one should cynically exploit the soldiers for political gain in order to collect a few more likes or perhaps improve their chances in the next election," he said.
Later in the interview, the Finance Minister reiterated that Israel will remain in southern Lebanon, as previously stated by the Prime Minister and the Defense Minister, until Hezbollah is disarmed.
"We will remain there for as many years as necessary, from Beaufort and beyond, to ensure that Hezbollah does not rebuild its strength and rearm as it did during the 20 to 30 years of the failed conception," he said, adding that Israel's security doctrine has fundamentally changed across all fronts over the past two and a half years.
Addressing Iran, Smotrich said the IDF is now just "a ten-minute decision" away from receiving authorization from the political leadership to operate there, a situation he said did not exist in the past.
He added that the government is correcting decades of mistakes in a complex security environment and called on the opposition to support the government's security policies rather than turn them into a political issue.