Finance Minister and Cabinet member Bezalel Smotrich published 10 points today (Thursday) about the current stage of the war and addressed the state of the fighting in the various arenas:
1. Hezbollah suffered a severe blow from the Northern Arrows, but was not defeated.
2. Its shooting and damage capabilities today are significantly less than their condition on the eve of the war, and in effect, we have set it back 20 years, from a terrorist army to a guerrilla organization.
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3. We knew this when we signed the ceasefire, which was timely, both due to the Biden administration's threats in a Security Council resolution against us and an arms embargo, and due to operational and resource constraints - navigation that is always required in balancing the various theaters of war.
We knew that we would return to fight him to defeat him, and we prepared for that, but at a time that was convenient for us in relation to the various fighting arenas, with an emphasis on Gaza.
4. It has been proven that political arrangements do not dismantle terrorist organizations and that it is impossible to rely on any foreign force to do the work for us. There is no 'outsourcing' to eradicate terrorism.
5. It has also been proven that determined and continuous enforcement is not enough. The freedom of action and thwarting that we have had in Lebanon over the past year is a great and important advance over the policy of containment and containment of the twenty years preceding the war, but it does not completely prevent escalation or eliminate threats, so it cannot be satisfied with it.
6. What is true against Hezbollah in the north is no less true against Hamas in the south. No one will dismantle it for us, and freedom of action to thwart it from afar is not a long-term solution. We will have to destroy it ourselves in the near future.
As is true in Lebanon and Gaza - it is true in Judea and Samaria. Alongside the settlement boom, there is no escape from dealing with the very deep roots of the perpetrators of terrorism.
7. The IDF has prepared plans to defeat Hezbollah, and we will not be able to end the current campaign without implementing them and removing the threat from the residents of the north and the State of Israel. The question is the timing and ranking between the various arenas.
We are on it and will manage it according to our interests and the IDF's plans.
8. The fall of the regime in Iran will greatly facilitate the task of eradicating both Hezbollah and Hamas. Without the Iranian pipeline of supply and support, these terrorist organizations will become like the tail of a lizard that continues to move a little even after being severed from the lizard's body due to nervous activity, and it will be possible to eradicate them at a lower cost.
Therefore, for now, also for the security of the residents of the north and south, it is important to maintain a focus on the Iranian arena. The IDF, of course, knows how to provide a parallel response in attack and defense in the north, and it will continue to do so. We are required to be patient and determined.
9. A comprehensive victory in the campaign will, God willing, lead to a new regional architecture of alliances and surprising peace agreements centered on the State of Israel as a regional and global power.
However, even after that, and probably until the coming of the Messiah and the complete redemption, we will not reach rest and inheritance, and there will be enemies around us who will seek to destroy us. We will need to continue the processes of building strength and strengthening - morally, militarily, economically and politically - to ensure our existence and future with the help of God.
10. Politicians and generals, both active and retired, who throughout the war have waged a reckless campaign to end it and surrender to enemies in all sectors, and those who have been worshipping for years the idol of 'political arrangements,' the 'final diplomatic leg,' and the 'exit strategy' - please sit quietly and spare us the hypocrisy in their criticism and astonishment at Hezbollah's shooting.
Over the past two and a half years, we have been correcting decades of defeatist security concepts and perceptions and policies. It takes time and requires investment and effort, but thank God and with His help, and thanks to the heroism of the fighters and commanders and the steadfast spirit of the people, it is progressing quite well.
We are changing the Middle East and with God's help we will win.
And finally, as a cabinet member who sends IDF fighters to risk their lives against the enemy in all complex arenas, I would like to salute the IDF soldiers, regular, permanent and reserve, and their families. The people of Israel admire you for your dedication to which we are exposed again and again. Your mobilization throughout the war gives us strength and strengthens the people.
