Lieberman: 'Israel' cannot live with second Hezbollah in the South

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli Media
14 May 2023 15:13
2 Shares

Former Israeli Security Minister Avigdor Lieberman criticizes the Israeli Occupation Prime Minister's policies in Gaza, underscoring the Hamas Movement's growing capabilities.

Then-Israeli Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman attends a press conference in the Finance Ministry in Al-Quds, June 12, 2022. (Reuters)

Former Israeli Security and Finance Minister and current head of the "Israel is Our Home" party, Avigdor Lieberman, criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Gaza Strip policies and said, "It is not possible to live between one round of fighting and another, just as much as another Hezbollah in the south cannot be tolerated."

Lieberman explained that "Hamas was sitting in the same operations room with the Islamic Jihad," noting that "Hamas is the one that determines the rules of the game and no one is making it pay."

"Hamas is going through an alarming process of growth, unhindered," expecting that "within 3 years, Hamas will become the south's Hezbollah."

Lieberman stressed that the Hamas Resistance movement "is working on precision," making reference to "rockets that reach Hadera (Al-Khodayra)," adding that the movement "has lethal weapons."

In that context, Lieberman proclaimed, "Another Hezbollah is being built before our eyes, and everyone wants to pass their time in office quietly."

Echoing concerns conveyed through Israeli Media, the former security minister worryingly warned, "We cannot be satisfied with living from one round to the next."

To that end, Lieberman said, "We need to assess the situation and think about whether it is possible to remove the Hamas threat from the south and eliminate its rule without taking responsibility for what is happening in Gaza."

In order to achieve an accurate assessment that reflects reality, Lieberman claimed that "every member of the security cabinet, in light of this process, must ask what is the size of Hamas' weapons, what are the weapons at its disposal, what is the arrangement of its manpower, what is its production rate, what is its size, and what is the level of its production."

Significantly, Lieberman asked, "What are the expectations for the next three years, where will they [Hamas] be?"

"Hamas has become an army made up of brigades and battalions, and everyone ignores this capability build-up, just as is the case with Hezbollah."

'Israel' pledged to stop assassinations: Resistance sources- Exclusive

Sources in the Resistance told Al Mayadeen on Saturday that the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement obtained an undeclared Israeli pledge to stop assassinations implicitly implied in the expression of “individuals” in the Egyptian-mediated ceasefire agreement.

Before the ceasefire entered into force, the Palestinian Resistance said it hit "Tel Aviv", occupied cities, and the Gaza envelope settlements with intense salvoes of rockets until the last second.

In the same context, the Israeli occupation's "National" Security Advisor, Tzachi Hanegbi, said "Israel" has agreed to the Egyptian-mediated ceasefire but said that "quiet will be met with quiet," as per a statement issued by the office of Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Earlier, Egyptian media reported that Cairo-mediated a ceasefire between the Palestinian Resistance and the Israeli occupation that took effect at 10 pm Saturday.

The ceasefire agreement text stated that Cairo urged the two sides to implement the agreement and is working to follow up on that by communicating with them.

According to the text, the ceasefire between the two sides will be adhered to, and it includes stopping the targeting of civilians and individuals and the demolition of homes.