(Photo: Shlomi Amsalem, GPO)
The Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, chaired by MK Yuli Yoel Edelstein (Likud), convened on Tuesday for a debate on diplomatic affairs, with the participation of Minister of Foreign Affairs MK Gideon Sa’ar (New Hope—The United Right). The debate was also attended by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs MK Sharren Haskel (New Hope—The United Right), Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General Eden Bar Tal and the ministry’s Deputy Director General Tzachi Dikshtein.
Committee Chair MK Edelstein: “The committee has heard the intelligence-operational briefings, and at this point I would like to express great appreciation for everyone who is engaged in the task—the IDF with its various branches, the Mossad and all those involved. Certainly also the political echelon for the courage in the decision-making. As people say, when credit is due, it’s due.
“Beyond this, there is a very important diplomatic campaign. We constantly deal with what is happening in the United States, and rightly so, but besides that there is a big world, and we are glad to hear from the Minister of Foreign Affairs what is happening in this regard—the activity being done, the attitudes you sense and the public diplomacy aspect of the affair,” said MK Edelstein.
Minister of Foreign Affairs MK Sa’ar: “Israel’s extraordinary achievements in Operation Rising Lion are continuing to build up. This morning we were informed that our troops eliminated the Iranian wartime chief of staff, Ali Shadmani, after his predecessor was killed in the opening blow of the operation. We still don’t know who the replacement’s replacement will be. I would recommend that whoever is offered the post should weigh the matter carefully, and if he responds in the affirmative, it is recommended that he exercise extreme caution.
“I have been in decision-making hubs for three decades, and I can state that no military campaign has ever been planned and managed the way that Operation Rising Lion has been planned and managed. [This has been done] in a thorough and intensive manner, with an excellent ongoing dialogue between the political echelon and the IDF and other defense organizations, based on seeing the broad diplomatic and security picture. With unity and understanding of the historical moment we are at, and in cooperation between all systems, led by the political echelon headed by Prime Minister MK Benjamin Netanyahu (Likud).
“In parallel with the military campaign, a diplomatic and psychological campaign is being waged all the while. We are taking initiative, being proactive and taking the offensive in the diplomatic campaign, as in the military campaign. On the diplomatic side, the Iranian side has displayed and continues to display intensive diplomatic activity, and so far all its moves have been blocked.
“Our situation in the international arena in the context of Operation Rising Lion is good. There is a great deal of understanding for the action we took, and also understanding that the existential danger faced by Israel also has ramifications for the security of the entire region, for the security of Europe and for the world order in its entirety,” said Minister MK Sa’ar.
