Lieberman says ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah is agreement to surrender 

Former Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman has described the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon as an agreement to surrender to Hezbollah. The head of the Yisrael Beiteinu party and Knesset member (MK) made his comment in an interview with Yedioth Ahronoth.

“This agreement is one agreement in exchange for an agreement with Hamas starting in 2018, and it is the same principle: Netanyahu [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] buys peace in the short term at the expense of serious damage to national security in the long term,” claimed Lieberman.

“What we see is that despite the [Israel Defence Forces’] warning and the demand not to return to the villages on the contact line, all the Lebanese – the Shia residents and of course the camouflaged Hezbollah members – have already begun to return.”

According to Lieberman, the government has learned nothing from 7 October 2023. “If Hezbollah begins to strengthen, build and produce precision tools or all kinds of aircraft in the Bekaa and Baalbek, we will not be allowed to operate there,” said the far-right MK.

“Yesterday, the entire air force was chasing one aircraft in the north, and in 5-6 years they will have 40,000 aircraft. They have begun production,” he added. “The Iranians are not hiding either, they will arm them [Hezbollah] again and give them money. As long as Hezbollah threatens Israel, it is impossible to reach an agreement with them.”

OPINION: A pause, not peace