Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended the state memorial ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the Second Lebanon War, addressing the security situation along Israel's northern border and the future of the country's relations with Lebanon.
In his remarks, Netanyahu described, "Lebanon is a beautiful and miserable country. It has wonderful people, but its tragedy is that it has been taken over by a fanatical cult that seeks to destroy us by invading from its territory."
Regarding the war against the Hezbollah terror group, he said, "There were those who tried to frighten us with predictions of massive casualties, skyscrapers collapsing in Israeli cities, and the destruction of the state. My colleagues and I did not accept that. We knew we had to strike Hezbollah with full force."
"Today, we are the ones looking down on Lebanon. We have created a broad buffer zone along the entire northern border," he said.
Netanyahu also stressed that Israel will continue to maintain its security zone in southern Lebanon for as long as necessary, promising, "We will remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon for as long as necessary, and we will restore security and prosperity to the residents of northern Israel."
"Iran wanted to force us to withdraw from southern Lebanon. That will not happen."
Netanyahu also expressed hope for a different future in relations between the two countries.
"I am not saying there won't be battles, challenges, and obstacles, but thanks to this chain of heroism, the door has been opened to a different reality in Israel-Lebanon relations," he said.
Concluding his statements, Netanyahu declared, "We will do everything possible to eventually reach a peace agreement between the two countries."