Avigdor Liberman, head of the "Yisrael Beiteinu" party and former Minister of Defense, stated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "personally prevented" an immediate military operation against what he described as the provocations of Hezbollah at the Lebanese border. Liberman was quoted by the "Arabs 48" website saying on "103FM" radio that "the Prime Minister is working against the recommendations of the professional level in the security establishment, which recommended acting immediately and very decisively, and the Prime Minister stopped them and prevented them from responding as they wanted to."
Liberman added that Netanyahu is "currently preventing discussions in the cabinet (the mini-security-political cabinet) as well as in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee regarding the competencies of the Israeli army, and this is simply unacceptable.”
He addressed Netanyahu's shouting at the Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, Herzi Halevi, during a meeting between them, two days ago, in the presence of Defense Minister Yoav Galant and officers from the General Staff. This meeting followed statements from Air Force Commander Tomer Bar about the decline in the capabilities of the air force due to protests by pilots against a plan to weaken the judiciary. Liberman said, "The Chief of Staff is prohibited from allowing the Prime Minister to shout at him, especially not in front of others."
He considered that Netanyahu "is not trying to defend the capabilities of the Israeli army. He is working day and night to dismantle the army and sees attacks on army officers, and simply remains silent like a fish." He continued: "Netanyahu is trying to defend himself and does not conceal this from the enemies. He tries to hide from the public the facts that everyone knows. The Prime Minister is attempting to evade responsibility and shift it onto the military level."
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant had threatened Hezbollah, saying: "I warn Hezbollah and Nasrallah not to make a mistake. You made mistakes in the past and paid a very high price. If escalation or confrontation develops, we will return Lebanon to the Stone Age." In response, Hezbollah's Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah replied to Galant's threat, saying that "if you (Israel) go to war with Lebanon, you will return to the Stone Age." He added that the Israeli army today is "in the worst condition compared to any time in the past."
