Former Israeli war cabinet member calls for operation in Lebanon to "continue and expand"
Former Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz on Sunday called for Israel’s operation in Lebanon to “continue and expand.”
The leader of the National Unity party, Gantz was a member of Israel’s emergency war cabinet until June, when he resigned over disagreements with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the war in Gaza.
Gantz has been supportive of the government’s decision to launch an operation in Lebanon.
“The ground operation in Lebanon must continue and expand, so that the residents of Northern Israel may return home and never again be displaced from their homes,” Gantz said while visiting the northern Israeli town of Karmiel on Sunday.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have insisted the ground operation is “limited” and “localized” — even though four of its divisions are now involved in the fighting, and more than a quarter of Lebanon’s territory has been placed under evacuation orders by Israel.
More background: Gantz is a retired army general who has in the past served as the chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces and as the country’s defense minister. He served in the military during Israel’s invasions of Lebanon in 1982 and 2006.
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