Stop Droning On

The Israel Minister of Defense issued a stern warning to Hezbollah after the terrorists flew a drone into Israel as we read in a report from the Jewish News Syndicate:

Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Hezbollah to halt its violations of the ceasefire deal or risk its continued existence.

After Katz visited the troops in Southern Lebanon he took the time talk about the recent drone sent into Israel by Hezbollah:

“I would like to send a clear message to Hezbollah and the Lebanese government,” the minister said in remarks published by his office following a visit to Israel Defense Forces troops serving in Southern Lebanon.

His message was supported by an even clearer one:

“Israel will not tolerate drone attacks from Lebanon,” Katz declared. “Either there will be no drones, or there will be no Hezbollah.

“I suggest that the successor of [slain Hezbollah chief Hassan] Nasrallah’s successor not make a mistake about Israel’s determination, lest he pay a very heavy price,” he warned.

This is in step with their new doctrine after October 7th which is quick responses with full force to being attacked:

According to Katz, Jerusalem will not allow a return to the reality of before the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist massacre. “We will foil threats and respond with full force,” the defense minister said.

At stake is the ceasefire agreement that Hezbollah keeps trying to void by rebuilding in southern Lebanon when they agreed to leave. Also trying to smuggle in terrorists with weapons. And now flying drones over Israel. All three are violations of the agreement and Hezbollah knows it

“The Hezbollah reconnaissance drone that made its way into Israeli territory yesterday and was intercepted by the [Israeli] Air Force constitutes a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” the military said in a statement the following day.

Of course the IDF downed the drone but these incursions only add to the bigger issue and that is Hezbollah isn’t leaving areas they agreed to leave. Along with the Lebanese army not being able to take over and you have the recipe for the ceasefire falling apart:

On Jan. 27, Katz warned the Hezbollah and Hamas terrorist groups in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, respectively, not to test Israel’s resolve.

“Anyone who violates the rules or threatens IDF forces will bear the full price. We will not allow a return to the reality of Oct. 7,” the defense minister said.

Also last month, Katz warned that the ceasefire deal with Beirut would be void if Hezbollah refused to withdraw from Southern Lebanon in accordance with the terms of the agreement.

Katz was very clear late last year on exactly what the IDF will do if the truce is breached:

On Dec. 20, the defense minister said the Israeli military would “crush Hezbollah’s head” if the Iran-backed terrorist group violated the ceasefire agreement.

Netanyahu Heads To DC

As expected Prime Minister Netanyahu landed in the US capitol today and will meet President Trump as we see in an article from The Jerusalem Post:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu landed in Washington on Sunday evening ahead of his meeting with US President Donald Trump.

"It is a very important meeting," the prime minister told reporters before takeoff.

"The fact that this would be President Trump’s first meeting with a foreign leader since his inauguration is a testimony to the strength of the Israeli-American alliance. It’s also a testimony to the strength of our personal friendship," he added.

On the docket is the war against Hamas:

Netanyahu said he would discuss with the president Israel's war against Hamas, the release of all the hostages, and the Iranian terror axis.

Talks about stabilizing relations with Saudi Arabia will also be discussed:

The prime minister also said he would discuss normalization with Saudi Arabia. “I will look to broaden the circle of peace and achieve a remarkable era of peace through strength,” Netanyahu said.

A spokesperson for Netanyahu, Omer Dostri, told The Jerusalem Post, “We aspire to reach peace, and there’s aspiration on the other side.”

There were discussion before October 7th, but the war made it much harder and for good reason:

“If such a process would have taken place without a war in Gaza, from the Saudis’ perspective, it would have been more comfortable,” Dostri explained to the Post, adding, “But we have not completed our goals in Gaza.”

Being seen as strong helps any negotiations in the region:

Were Israel to insist on meeting its war goals in the enclave, this could actually advance normalization, he said. “We must remember: Here in the region, ‘the strongest survive,’ and when countries see Israel annihilating its enemies – it brings normalization closer.”

Other issues are letting the Palestinian Authority (PA) control Gaza and the West Bank. The main issue with that is Hamas wants to use the military to destroy Israel while the PA wants to do it legally. Israel can’t trust the PA right now. Right now Israel sees the PA as hostile to them.

Extending the first phase of the current ceasefire deal to continue to get hostages back after the first 33 are back without talking about ending the war will also be brought up:

One of the options that will be discussed between Trump and Netanyahu will be to extend the current 42-day first phase of the hostage deal talks, in which 33 hostages, some confirmed to be deceased, are expected to be released. The idea is to continue the ceasefire while Hamas releases more hostages without discussing Hamas's demand for a full stop to the war - a demand opposed by Israel.

I doubt Hamas will agree to that but now that the US is an active negotiator it could happen.

A diplomatic source told the Post that Witkoff is set to take an active role in the negotiations, as “Witkoff and the Trump administration see themselves as active negotiators,” in contrast to the Biden administration, which monitored and backed the negotiations but ultimately didn’t bring them to fruition, the source explained.

With the situation with Hezbollah being more strained by the day, Hamas may also be on the verge of extinction if the ceasefire falls apart. If both of those occur the fighting will start again.