PNN – Ehud Barak, who was the Israeli prime minister at the time of the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, said that after a year and a half of Benjamin Netanyahu’s statements that he had pushed Hezbollah back decades, it is now clear that this assessment was absurd and hollow.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network; Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak stated that despite everything that happened to Hezbollah, including the Pagers operation, the movement remains intact and active, as if what happened had no decisive impact.
In an article published in the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz on Monday, Barak noted that Hezbollah, led by Naim Qassem, continues to carry out attacks and disrupt the lives of residents of settlements in the northern occupied territories, while there are no signs of the party collapsing or its willingness to disarm. He added that what is being promoted about the ability of the Israeli army to destroy Hezbollah is a dangerous illusion.
He stressed that “eliminating Hezbollah requires a complete occupation of Lebanon, and this is unrealistic.” Barak made it clear that the only way to disarm the party is through a diplomatic process coordinated by the Lebanese government, the United States, and regional countries, and that any side that does not have such a plan will inevitably sink into the Lebanese quagmire and years of fruitless bloodshed will continue.
Barak also ridiculed the “illusion of believing” that military pressure or loss of territory could force Hezbollah to lay down its arms.
He also called the destruction of Lebanese villages a double mistake, saying Israel would face international pressure and eventually be forced to withdraw, while the effects of the devastation would remain for years to come.
He added that the destruction of villages strengthens Hezbollah’s argument that it is the only force defending Lebanon against occupation; an issue that he said gives Hezbollah more support against the Lebanese government and its internal rivals.