Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Hezbollah and Hamas have become "ineffective" proxies for Iran, following Israel's latest operations, which targeted and killed a large number of key leaders from both groups.
Speaking at a memorial service for Israeli soldiers on Mount Herzl who died on October 7 last year, Gallant said, "In the south, Hamas ceased to exist as a military force. In the north, Hezbollah continued to take blows its command chain was destroyed, and most of its rocket and missile capabilities were lost." He noted that such groups, which have often acted as Iran's longer arms against Israel, "are no longer effective weapons."
With Qatar currently holding negotiations on hostage releases and a possible truce in Gaza, Gallant realized that specific goals cannot be achieved by complex means only. "We know that some goals cannot be achieved by military action alone, and thus, we must honor our moral obligations to bring our captives home, despite painful compromises involved," he added.
It is interesting that Gallant and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for example, have often differed over the negotiations intended to try and negotiate the release of the hostages in Gaza.
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