Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a wreath-laying ceremony on the occasion of the annual Holocaust Remembrance Day at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem, April 14, 2026. (Credit: Ilia Yefimovich/AFP)
BEIRUT — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that the “dual threat” posed by Hezbollah’s rockets and drones requires continued military action in Lebanon, according to a statement from his office, despite the cease-fire that took effect on April 17.
The Israeli premier said confronting this threat would “actually pave the way for the disarmament” of the party and would “allow us to address the diplomatic aspect,” without providing further details. Beirut and Tel Aviv this month began direct contacts ahead of negotiations for the first time since 1983.
10% of the missiles
“Two major threats remain from Lebanon, from Hezbollah: the threat posed by 122 mm rockets and that of drones and unmanned aircraft. This requires a combination of operational and technological measures,” he said.
“Defense Minister [Israel Katz] and Chief of Staff [Eyal Zamir] are well aware of this. We are making a very significant technological effort to solve these problems. If we manage to resolve them through a combination of operational and technological means, we will effectively be on the path to disarming Hezbollah, as this constitutes the bulk of its arsenal,” he added
According to the Israeli prime minister, Hezbollah now has "about 10% of the missiles it had at the start of the war," likely referring to the conflict that began when the group opened a "support front for Gaza" in October 2023. "However, these still disrupt residents in the north, and I greatly appreciate their resilience and tenacity. But we still have two missions, and what I expect from you is to solve these two problems, because I think we can address the diplomatic aspect if we do," he said.
Earlier, Netanyahu praised what he described as the Israeli army’s “monumental achievements” in Lebanon, including “eliminating the rocket system” and “creating a security zone that prevents any possibility of infiltration into northern Israel as well as direct anti-tank missile fire,” which he said would allow Israel to “change the situation in Lebanon.”
“We are striking, as we are doing now, both in the security zone, north of the security zone, and north of the Litani,” he said, as the Israeli army continues its deadly daily strikes across Lebanon and the systematic destruction of villages and towns in the country’s south.
“We have the freedom to counter immediate and emerging threats. This is the agreement we reached with the United States as well as with the Lebanese government,” he added, referring to the truce between Beirut and Tel Aviv announced by the U.S. State Department, which took effect on April 17.
According to the Health Ministry, Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed 2,521 people and wounded 7,804 since March 2.
Zamir hails 'forward defense zones' in Lebanon, Gaza, and Syria
Israeli army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, for his part, praised what he described as a new “security reality” created by the army, saying it had “established, in all sectors, forward defense zones on the front line to protect our communities — in the Gaza Strip, in Syria and in Lebanon,” according to a message posted by the Israeli military on X.
“We must remain in these zones as long as the security of our communities is not assured in the long term,” he added.
Zamir also said that 2026 “could still be a year of fighting” on all fronts, according to a military statement cited by AFP.
“We remain ready and alert to the possibility of a resumption of intense fighting on all these fronts — the year 2026 could still be a year of fighting on each of them,” he said.
