Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sent a direct message to the citizens of Lebanon for them to "unite" with Israel against the Shiite party-militia Hezbollah, emphasizing that the confrontation is with this group and not with the Lebanese state, where Israeli bombings have already left more than 3,600 dead.
"I have a message for you, the people of Lebanon. Israel is not at war with you. We are at war with Hezbollah, which has taken your country hostage, which follows the orders of Iran, and which uses your territory to launch terrorist attacks against Israel," he stated in a speech in English, disseminated on his social media.
In line with statements made hours earlier by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Netanyahu insisted that he "wants peace" with the Lebanese. "Take charge of your future. Unite with Israel. Build security and prosperity for all our children. And once Hezbollah is dismantled, the possibilities will be endless," he added.
Netanyahu detailed that he aspires to "a peace" that allows Israelis and Lebanese to "invest together, build together, prosper together" and stressed that, in his opinion, the "only impediment" to that horizon is Hezbollah.
The head of government accused the Shiite group, created after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, of deliberately seeking armed confrontation and of being willing to "sacrifice as many (Lebanese) as possible to achieve their sick objectives." "Do not let your future be dictated by medieval theocrats bent on destroying our common civilization," he stated, addressing the Lebanese population throughout.
"Do you remember what Lebanon was like before Iran and Hezbollah turned it into a nightmare? Do you remember the cafes? Do you remember the culture? Do you remember the calm? All of that has vanished because Hezbollah and Iran want to drag us into war again and again and again. You deserve better. Your children deserve better. By now, you know that Israel will do whatever it takes to protect our families, our communities," he concluded.
The Israeli leader has called on the Lebanese to support Israel, without specifying how, while reiterating that "Hezbollah is weaker than ever" while his country "is stronger than ever". "So far we have eliminated almost 10,000 Hezbollah terrorists. We are systematically clearing southern Lebanon of these fanatics. No matter where they are, we will find them," he stressed.
For his part, Herzog has expressed his willingness to "extend a hand" to his Lebanese counterpart, Joseph Aoun, with the aim of "achieving peace" between the two countries, and has stressed that "it depends on Beirut to reduce the influence of Iran and its allies".
Tehran, on the other hand, maintains its position that Lebanon must be incorporated into the framework of the ceasefire agreement negotiated with the United States and Israel, a demand that has repeatedly frustrated the possibility of closing a definitive truce.
Last week, the governments of Israel and Lebanon reached an understanding on a mechanism to implement a ceasefire, conditioned on Hezbollah ceasing its attacks and withdrawing to the north of the Litani River. The Shiite group has refused, alleging that the text does not include the withdrawal of Israeli forces nor establish guarantees of compliance.
The latest large-scale hostilities were triggered on March 2, when Hezbollah launched projectiles against Israeli territory in retaliation for the assassination of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during the offensive launched on February 28 by Israel and the United States against the Asian country.
Both sides had agreed to a ceasefire in November 2024 after thirteen months of fighting linked to the October 7, 2023 attacks. However, since then Israel has continued to carry out recurrent bombings on Lebanon and maintain troops deployed in several points, arguing that its operations are directed against Hezbollah, amid protests and complaints from Beirut and the Shiite group itself over these actions.