Netanyahu says Israel wants to 'work together' with Lebanon to 'get rid of Hezbollah'

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu articulated a clear strategic objective in a recent interview: the dismantling of Hezbollah, which he unequivocally labels an Iranian proxy holding Lebanon captive. Speaking to CBS, Netanyahu asserted that Israel has significantly degraded Hezbollah's missile capabilities, destroying over 90% of its rockets and ballistic missiles. Yet, he acknowledged the remaining threat, emphasizing that thousands of missiles still pose a substantial challenge.

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We have no quarrel with Lebanon. We could make peace with Lebanon and want to make peace with them tomorrow, no, yesterday. But you have this foreign body, this-- this-- Ira-- Iranian-backed terrorist organization that hijacked the country.

Netanyahu drew a sharp distinction between the Lebanese people and the Hezbollah organization, stating, "We have no quarrel with Lebanon. We could make peace with Lebanon and want to make peace with them tomorrow, no, yesterday." He positioned Hezbollah as a foreign entity, an "Iranian-backed terrorist organization that hijacked the country," implying that the Lebanese populace desires freedom from its influence. The Prime Minister suggested a potential for collaboration, asking, "How do we work together to militarily and politically... to get rid of Hezbollah?"

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What we're talking to them about is, 'How do we work together to militarily and politically, possibly splitting up the work, to get rid of Hezbollah?' It's not yet been done. It has to be done as well.

From an Israeli perspective, the ongoing presence and threat of Hezbollah are inextricably linked to Iran's regional ambitions. Netanyahu's remarks underscore a core tenet of Israeli foreign policy: confronting Iranian influence by targeting its proxies. The assertion that the collapse of the Iranian regime would precipitate the downfall of groups like Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis highlights a strategic belief that Tehran is the central node in a network of regional instability. This viewpoint frames the conflict not merely as a bilateral issue but as a broader struggle against Iranian expansionism, a narrative that resonates strongly within Israel's security establishment and public discourse.

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If the Iranian regime is indeed weakened or possibly toppled, I think it's the end of Hezbollah, it's the end of Hamas, it's probably the end of the Houthis, because the whole scaffolding of the terrorist proxy network that Iran built collapses if the regime in Iran collapses.