Former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot said Saturday night that the goals of disarming Hezbollah and demilitarizing southern Lebanon are now 'far from achievement' following the Israel-Lebanon framework agreement, contrasting his earlier pre-deal warning that these were essential objectives. He was quoted in a Telegram message widely circulated by Israeli sources.
Former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, who previously insisted that Israel must secure the demilitarization of southern Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah as non-negotiable goals, now says those objectives are 'far from achievement' after the Israel-Lebanon framework agreement was reached.
The message, shared Saturday evening on a linked the source, quotes Eisenkot juxtaposing his own pre-deal and post-deal positions. Before the agreement, he warned that anything less than full demilitarization and Hezbollah's disarmament would 'abandon the north.' Now, he is quoted describing those same goals as remote — adding a laughing-cry emoji, suggesting irony or frustration.
As The Zioneer reported on June 22, Eisenkot had spelled out the same demands publicly. The terms of the framework deal itself — which reportedly keeps the IDF up to 10 km inside southern Lebanon pending Hezbollah's disarmament — have drawn skepticism from analysts. Hezbollah officials have firmly rejected any disarmament in political settlements, with Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem stating on June 4 that disarming the group would 'destroy Lebanon.'
It remains unclear whether the quoted Telegram post originates from an official Eisenkot statement or from a secondhand channel. The former chief of staff has not yet publicly elaborated on his current assessment in mainstream Israeli media.
- DevelopingEisenkot: Israel must demilitarize south Lebanon and disarm Hezbollah
- DevelopingAnalyst: Israel-Lebanon framework keeps IDF 10 km inside Lebanon until Hezbollah disarms
- StrongReservist Brig. Gen. (res.) Harel Knapho: 'We exceeded our goals in all arenas; still need to disarm Hezbollah'
- DevelopingWriter argues deal forces IDF to stay in most Lebanese villages until Hezbollah military dismantled
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