Israeli Finance Minister Becalel Smotrič is calling for the border with Lebanon to be moved up to the Lítání River inside its territory. He claims that the war is supposed to change the map.
Israel should move its borders with Lebanon up to the Lítání River in its interior, Israeli Finance Minister Becalel Smotrič declared on Monday. TASR informs about it according to a Reuters report.
- Israeli Finance Minister Smotrič is asking for the border to be moved up to the Lítání River.
- Smotrič insists that the military operation in Lebanon will change the reality of borders.
- Defense Minister Yisrael Kac is considering taking part of Lebanon without disarming Hezbollah.
In a radio interview on Monday, Smotrich said that the military operation in Lebanon “must end in a completely different reality,” including changing Israel’s borders. “I say here unequivocally… in every room and also in every discussion: the new Israeli border must be (the river) Lítání,” he specified.
Smotrich and Hezbollah
Reuters reports that Smotrič often expresses himself in public in a way that goes beyond official Israeli policy. Earlier this month, Defense Minister Yisrael Kac also hinted at the idea of taking part of the Lebanese territory if the Hezbollah militant movement is not disarmed.
Lebanon was drawn into the regional war between Israel, the United States and Iran when the militant group Hezbollah began shelling northern Israel. His army responded by attacking targets attributed to the movement.
Lebanese reaction
Shortly thereafter, the Lebanese government decided to crack down on Hezbollah’s military activities, with the Lebanese army not in control of its armed forces. According to President Júsif Awn, the decision is “irreversible”. Awn later called for direct negotiations with Israel to end the fighting on its territory.
Smotrič also called for the annexation of the territory that Israel controls in the Gaza Strip. Tel Aviv currently administers approximately 53 percent of this Palestinian enclave.
