"We are late" and must shift the focus of "Israel" toward Hezbollah and Lebanon, former Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz said on Sunday.

"We have enough forces to deal with Gaza and we should concentrate on what is going on in the north," Gantz underscored during a speech at the Middle East Forum in Washington, US.

Stressing that the "real" threat for "Israel" has become the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon, Gantz expanded saying, "The time of the North has come, and actually I think we are late on this."

it is important to note that Gantz is not considered a right-wing politician in the occupation. Rather, he is dubbed centrist; the Israeli occupation's ideology is uniform on matters of occupying Palestinian and Arab lands along the left-right spectrum of political affiliation.

Gantz brushes off IOF failure in Gaza claims military superiority

In his Washington speech he also alleged, "In Gaza, we [Israeli occupation] have crossed a decisive point of the campaign," stressing "We can conduct anything we want in Gaza. We should seek to have a deal to get out our hostages but if we cannot in the coming time, a few days or few weeks, or whatever it is, we should go up north."

The Israeli politician also emphasized that "Israel" made an error, as much of the northern occupied region was forced to flee after Hezbollah launched a Resistance support front in defense of the Palestinian people and Resistance in the Gaza Strip a day after Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.

Gantz further threatened that "Israel" is "capable of hitting the state of Lebanon if needed" claiming that "The story of Hamas is old news," and that "the story of Iran and its proxies all around the area and what they are trying to do is the real issue."

In his statement, Gantz made multiple references to the Axis of Resistance and the multiple support fronts launched by Arab and Islamic Resistance movements in the region in defense of occupied Palestine.

Read more: 'Israel' knows nothing about Hamas' tunnels: Released captive

'It is not Hamas that is collapsing, it is Israel'

In an article titled "It is not Hamas that is collapsing, but Israel" published in Haaretz, retired Israeli Brigadier General Yitzhak Brik offered a critical assessment of the ongoing battles in the Gaza Strip. He underscored the significant and escalating losses "Israel" is facing, arguing that the war is exerting a far heavier toll on "Israel" itself than on Hamas.

He argued that soldiers are exhausted and are losing their skills for lack of training; especially since many are leaving their courses before completing them.

"Some argue that withdrawing army forces from Gaza after signing a hostage deal with Hamas would be the same as being defeated and surrendering... This claim is grounded in a fundamental misunderstanding of what is taking place in the Gaza Strip. It is fueled by clichés spread by the political and military echelons to justify their actions and gain public support and legitimacy to continue a failed war... it is those very same people declaring that a cessation of hostilities means our defeat and surrender who are bringing the military closer to collapse and the state to its downfall," he added.

He pointed out the need to concentrate occupation forces in other sectors, namely in the north and the West Bank due to the ongoing escalations, occupation forces will have to withdraw from Gaza  because there are "not enough forces to fight on several fronts at the same time."

"In other words, the day will come when the IDF [IOF] will no longer be able to remain in the Gaza Strip because Hamas will be in full control of it – both in the underground tunnel city that stretches hundreds of kilometers and above ground," Brik explained. 

He added, "If we stop raiding because the military is weak and because we have no other choice, or if we move our forces to other areas, our enemies will declare with fanfare that the Israeli military has thrown in the towel, left Gaza and surrendered."

That said, Brik suggested that by preempting matters and agreeing to a deal to return the captives and prisoners, the battles in Gaza must end.

Read more: Ex-Israeli PM Ehud Barak says war with Hezbollah 'strategic mistake'