Defense Minister Katz Claims Israel Has Beaten The Hezbollah Militant Group

Israeli military operations in Lebanon. (Source: Israel Defense Forces)

JAKARTA - Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday his country had defeated the Hezbollah militant group, and removed its leader Hassan Nasrallah was its culmination.

"Now it is our duty to continue to exert pressure to produce the result of the victory," Defense Minister Israel Katz said at a ceremony at Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Defense Minister Katz said Israel was not interested in intervening in Lebanese internal politics because Israel had "learned from our mistakes".

However, he hopes the international coalition will take advantage of this opportunity politically and Lebanon will join other countries in normalizing relations with Israel.

It is known that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week sacked Yoav Gallant from the position of defense minister, replacing him with Israel Katz, who previously served as secretary of state.

Katz, who is also a member of Netanyahu's Likud Party, welcomed his appointment as defense minister in a statement but did not mention Gallant.

"I thank Prime Minister Netanyahu for the trust he put in me in lifting me to the position of defense minister," Katz wrote in X, quoted by The Times of Israel.

"I accept this responsibility with a sense of mission and deep commitment to the security of the State of Israel and its citizens," he continued.

Katz further vowed to "work together to advance defense agencies towards victory against our enemies and to achieve war goals: return all hostages as the most important mission, the destruction of Hamas in Gaza, the defeat of Hezbollah in Lebanon, the restraint of Iranian aggression, and the return of residents of the north and south safely to their homes."