Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol Building on July 24, 2024, in Washington, DC. Ahead of his remarks during a joint meeting of Congress. (Credit: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images North America/Getty Images via AFP)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel will continue to operate militarily against the Lebanese armed party Hezbollah even if a cease-fire deal is reached in Lebanon.
"The most important thing is not [the deal that] will be laid on paper," Netanyahu told the Israeli parliament.
"We will be forced to ensure our security in the north [of Israel] and to systematically carry out operations against Hezbollah's attacks ... even after a cease-fire," to keep the party from rebuilding, he said.
Netanyahu also said there was no evidence that Hezbollah would respect any cease-fire reached.
"We will not allow Hezbollah to return to the state it was in on Oct. 6," 2023, the eve of the strike by Palestinian Hamas in southern Israel, he said.
Hezbollah then began firing into northern Israel in support of Hamas, triggering exchanges with Israel that escalated into full-on war in late September this year.
Lebanon's government has largely endorsed a U.S. truce proposal to end the war and was preparing final comments before responding to Washington, a Lebanese official told AFP on Monday.
Netanyahu's remarks come amidst an expected visit of U.S. envoy Amos Hochestein to the Middle East. He is expected in Beirut on Tuesday, and Tel Aviv on Wednesday, to finalize the cease-fire deal proposed by the U.S.
