Jerusalem, 27 April, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz met with the UN envoy to Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert. The meeting was attended by other senior officials in the defense establishment and the IDF (Israel Defense Forces).
During the meeting, Katz emphasized that the Lebanese government must ensure that Hezbollah is disarmed first south of the Litani River and then throughout Lebanon.
Katz told Hennis-Plasschaert that the Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem is “playing with fire and the fire will burn Hezbollah and all of Lebanon” and that Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is “gambling on the future of Lebanon,” and added that, “there will be no reality of a ceasefire in Lebanon along with firing on our forces and the Galilee communities.”
The Defense Minister also said that he and Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed the IDF to respond “forcefully” to Hezbollah for any “violation, harm, or threat to our forces and Israeli communities.”
“If the Lebanese government continues to shelter under the shadow of the terrorist organization Hezbollah, a fire will break out and burn the cedars of Lebanon,” declared Katz.