Lebanon’s Hezbollah group announced on Saturday, September 28 that its leader and one of its founders, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on Friday. In a statement, Hezbollah said that Nasrallah “has joined his fellow martyrs,” and vowed to “continue the holy struggle against the enemy and in support of Palestine.”
Nasrallah, who led Hezbollah for over 30 years, is the most significant figure killed by Israel amid weeks of heightened conflict between the two sides. The Israeli military reported that it conducted a precise airstrike on Friday, September 27 targeting Hezbollah leaders during a meeting at their headquarters in Dahiyeh, southern Beirut.
In an exclusive conversation, Devika Chopra, Editor, NewsX, spoke to Anat Bernstein Reich – President, Israel Asia Chamber Of Commerce, Rehovot, Mahesh Sachdev, Former Diplomat, Eli Nacht, Deputy Mayor Of Ashdod, Israel and Michael Daniel, a retired Army Officer to know their valuable opinion and insights on Israel’s attack on Hezbollah group and whether the global opinion matters to them or not. Here are the excerpts from the interview:
Eli Nacht: Our Goal Is To Make Them As Weak As Possible | NewsX Exclusive
When asked how does Israel view statements made by Hezbollah about vowing to continue their war against Israel, Eli Nacht, Deputy Mayor Of Ashdod told NewsX, “We are not surprised. Hezbollah was formed in the beginning and is recognized around the world as a terror organization. So, the base of this organization is terror and without terror, there is no reason for this kind of organization to exist as same as Hamas. So, it doesn’t matter who is standing as the head of this organization and how many casualties they have, they still need to prove to all the supporters as Iran that they can re-approve of their terror existence.”
He added, “Our goal is to make them as weak as possible and even to demolish them from the surface of this earth. Because, we don’t terror organizations trying to hit civillians and innocent people in Israel and all over the world. So, we will keep fighting Hezbollah and Hamas on behalf of the free world in order to bring peace to the middle-east.”
“It Is Our Moral Right To Prevent The Next Attack Against Israel”
When asked how is Israel justifying the loss of civilian lives, Eli told NewsX, “First of all, I am not sure who you are calling the civilians whom you are not or the Lebanon government- who they are calling the civilians. Some of the Hezbollah supporters or fighters might also be called civilians. I can tell you and in fact, reassure you that the Israel Army is trying their best to not to harm civilians in the middle of the attack. But, if the so-called civilians are sitting with the commander-in-chief and older Army leaders, and planning how to carry out the next attack on Israel then of course, it is our moral right to prevent the next attack against Israel.”
He added, “There might be some casualties in the war but we are sorry for if there are any casualties like these. But again, it depends on the definition, who do you call civilians. We are trying to hit the terrorists. They are hiding amongst the civilians and hiding their weapons in their houses. They are launching the missiles from private properties and, in this case, then everybody is not a civilian.”
Does Global Opinion Matter To Israel?
When asked does global opinion matter to Israel as they always said that war is against Hezbollah and not with Lebanon but it seems the world might not be perceiving it that way. To this Anat Bernstein Reich – President, Israel Asia Chamber Of Commerce, Rehovot told NewsX, “The global opinion, of course, matters. We view ourselves as part of the liberal world. As you rightly said, Israel is against Hezbollah. Israel is calling for the civilians of Lebanon to move from Hezbollah bases, and move to the north. I don’t know which number are they talking about. Israel is making any effort to ask civilians to move out of those areas by calling them, by sending leaflets, by posting messages to the civilians coming on the radio- ‘move and protect yourself.’ Lebanese did take the advice and moved from the dangerous areas where Hezbollah is.” She added, “It’s utmost best to not hurt civilians.”
Asking the same to Eli Nacht, he asserted, “The first priority of the state of Israel is to defend ourselves and to defend our children and try to bring hostages back and prevent terror. As long as there is no contradiction between the global opinion and, our goals of survival in the middle-east, we are considering the opinions of all our friends. In the moment, we understand, politics is playing its own game and, we know exactly which kinds of countries and superpowers, and other regional powers, who are seeking the benefit of Iran or Lebanon or other countries are publishing their biased opinions. The opinion is against the state of Israel which we don’t care about.”
He added, “We care about the opinion of the free world that wants to live a quite normal life without terror organizations and without weapons of mass destruction to be aimed at the democratic state of Israel- the only democratic state in the middle-east.” He further claimed, “Israel never opened an attack first but has always tried to defend itself, trying to build a normal life as the only Judaist state in the world.
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Is Israel Looking For Mediation After Saudi Arabia’s Push For Two-State Solution To Israeli-Palestinian Conflict?
When asked if Israel is looking for a mediation after Saudi Arabia is willing to push for a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. To this Eli said, ” It is a very complicated question because right now, we are in a war. The only mediation we are looking for right now is trying to bring our civilians, our hostages back to our home and to get Hezbollah and Lebanon back to the Lithuanian line far away from the north border of Israel in order to seek security.”
He added, “This is our first priority. In the future, we would really like and by the way we know that one of the reasons for the October seven war that was started was in order to disturb in order to prevent from normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia because we are very very interested as the prime minister of Israel said in the United Nation Assembly that we really want we really interested and really want a new Middle East with Israel and the Abram agreements to be expended also to Saudi Arabia we are really seeking for this partnership among all our possible new friends in this region and Beyond and what is needed for that is a different questions in a different time not right now where we have hundreds of rockets and missiles on a daily basis shut to the direction of our cities.”
Mahesh Sachdev, Former Diplomat, also expressed his views on the matter saying, “I don’t think it’s going to work, especially in this warlike situation. Saudi Arabia has made it clear during the Gaza conflict that normalizing relations with Israel requires a two-state solution, so their commitment is evident. However, whether they can persuade Israel to soften its opposition to a two-state solution remains uncertain. Both the Israeli cabinet and Knesset have passed resolutions rejecting the two-state solution, giving it the force of national policy. For Israel to change its national policy would require significant effort.”
Mr. Sachdev continued, “One of your speakers suggested that Israel was naive to engage in the Oslo Accords, where the two-state solution was initially presented, indicating the current sentiment. As far as I’m concerned, I’m a practical person and a realist. I have visited Israel, I speak Arabic, and I understand Nasrallah, who was an effective speaker. There is a huge contradiction between the two positions. I don’t believe the two-state solution will progress under these circumstances.”
Will Hezbollah Get A New Leader?
When asked how who will be in control or who should be targeted after speculations of new leadership emerging started doing the rounds, Eli Nacht told NewsX, “I don’t believe the next leader of Hezbollah or any other organization will hide his identity. The essence of these terrorists is to show the world that they are brave, unafraid, and committed to jihad. Asking about hidden leadership from a Western perspective misses their point. They want to show off and tell the world they aren’t afraid. I wish their leaders would try to hide, which would indicate that they feared Israel, but that’s not the case. They try to project strength and fearlessness.”
He also said, “It doesn’t matter who hides their identity. The world understands today that our intelligence, the Mossad, and our military are highly sophisticated. We possess so much information on our enemies that it’s just a matter of whether we want to press the button or not, not about our capabilities. It’s our decision, and if we choose to eliminate this leader, the next leader, or any other, it will be done swiftly and effectively. In our neighbourhood, only the strongest survive, unfortunately, not the one with the highest moral standing.”
Michael Daniel, Retired Army Officer: Iran Is Actively Involved With Hezbollah
Shedding light on the situation with Israel and the wars it’s engaged in cannot be resolved unless Iran is dealt with, Michael Daniel told NewsX, “I don’t believe that Iran is simply making trouble. They are actively involved with Hezbollah, injecting themselves into this conflict. Iran needs to step away. I believe the Iranian people themselves are not interested in being involved in this conflict. Iran should leave Hezbollah to deal with Israel, and they will receive what they deserve. I trust our army and leaders to do what is best for Israel.”
He added, “Nobody can endure the constant rocket fire on our country. When we decide to strike a place, we often warn civilians to leave before we take action. They don’t do the same—they do not care who is killed or what the consequences are. They should understand that we will do whatever is necessary to protect our country.”
To conclude, Daniel told NewsX, “I believe a solution is possible for both nations, but unfortunately, many people in Gaza don’t understand the aid they receive from us—electricity, water, and communication services. Even amidst the conflict, people from Gaza receive treatment in Israeli hospitals. Trucks of food are sent to Gaza, but sadly, 90% of it goes to Hamas, and only 10% reaches the people. It is very sad that the world doesn’t see this. They need to understand that we provide a lot of aid, but most of it is taken by Hamas.”
Check the full interview here:
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