'Israel has to attack and destroy Hezbollah' without delay, says Knesset Member Gideon Sa’ar

Sa’ar believes direct military action is necessary and inevitable

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Knesset Member Gideon Sa’ar said that Israel must “destroy Hezbollah,” and that “it’s better not to delay,” during a conversation with The Jerusalem Post published over the weekend.

Despite Western diplomatic efforts to negotiate a cessation of Hezbollah's ongoing attacks against Israel, Sa’ar believes that expanded, direct military action against the terrorist organization is necessary and inevitable.

Sa'ar, currently a Knesset member from his own party New Hope, served in several ministerial roles a decade ago for Netanyahu's Likud party. He joined the emergency government following Oct. 7 and the ensuing Gaza War as a member of National Unity party, but resigned from the government in March and re-formed the New Hope party.

Since then, the Likud has tried to persuade him to return to the government and replace Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, according to unconfirmed but persistent rumors.

Sa’ar argued that Israel has “three strategic choices”– it “could cave,” it could “remain in this endless war of attrition,” or it could “act decisively.”

He stated that postponing a significant military operation against Hezbollah in favor of diplomatic negotiations would "force Israel to a point of decisive action at a less optimal moment."

If Israel delays in decisively attacking the Lebanese terror group now, “Hezbollah’s firepower would be that much greater, and the danger that much more serious,” Sa’ar argued.

A decisive military operation, he said, is also necessary to return the more than 60,000 still displaced Israelis to their homes along Israel’s border with Lebanon.

Specifically, Sa’ar argued that Israel must gain military control of part of southern Lebanon, to create a “buffer zone” that would ensure the safety of Israel’s northern residents.

“Without placing the IDF in southern Lebanon, you can’t return the residents of the north to their homes,” Sa’ar noted, positing that the Israeli public would support such an operation.

“If you ask the people of Israel, the majority of which do not have trust in the government... whether to conduct an operation in the north, the people would say yes, and understand why,” the Knesset member added.

Sa’ar also spoke about the need to decisively attack Iran, saying that “in our dialogue with the US, we have to put the regime’s survival on the table,” and that such an operation could go beyond targeting military sites.

“Among the options he listed was to hit at the heart of the Iranian economy by harming the country’s oil industry, which funds the Islamic Republic’s terrorist proxy groups,” the Jerusalem Post reported.

Despite the threat of the Iranian regime, of which Hezbollah is a proxy, Sa’ar believes “the greatest conventional challenge remains Hezbollah.”