Hamas does not have the ability to launch another attack like October 7: Israeli envoy Reuven Azar to News18 – News18

Hamas does not have the ability to carry out another attack like the one on October 7, Israeli envoy Reuven Azar told CNN-News18 in an exclusive conversation about their priorities and the war.

included October 7, 2023Hamas gunmen stormed across the Gaza border into Israel, killing about 1,200 people. Hamas also fired thousands of rockets, killing children, the elderly and 364 youths at a music festival. Hamas took more than 250 others in Gaza hostage. “We want to return our hostages and make sure that Hamas does not regroup,” Israel’s ambassador to India said.

Tensions between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah have steadily escalated over the past 11 months.

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Hezbollah has fired missiles, rockets and drones into northern Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza and their ally Hamas, another Iranian-backed group. Hezbollah is the most powerful political and military force in Lebanon and widely regarded as the top paramilitary force in the Arab world. Israel responded with increasingly heavy airstrikes and targeted assassinations of Hezbollah commanders, while threatening a wider operation.

Israel killed a senior Hezbollah commander on Tuesday as part of a two-day bombing campaign that left more than 560 people dead and drove thousands into southern Lebanon to seek refuge from the widening conflict. Monday’s escalation came after a particularly heavy exchange of fire on Sunday. Hezbollah fired about 150 missiles, rockets and drones into northern Israel in response to the strikes, which killed a top commander and dozens of fighters. Last week, thousands of communications devices, mainly used by Hezbollah members, exploded in various parts of Lebanon, killing 39 people and injuring nearly 3,000, many of them civilians. Lebanon has blamed Israel, but Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility.

“If Israel had a bigger army, we would have attacked Hezbollah a year ago. We have no choice but to escalate the situation. We don’t want to hurt civilians,” Azar said, adding: “Thousands of people are leaving southern Lebanon. Israel is doing everything it can to keep civilians out of harm’s way. We’re using technology that we’ve never used before.”

“We are also trying to seek an end to the war, but we must do so in accordance with our security interests. It is not about who the mediator is, but about the merits of the situation…The war will continue until we achieve our limited goals. We want the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1702 in the North, in the South we want to return the hostages,” he said.

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“Lebanon was hijacked by Hezbollah and is being used to attack Israel. If they don’t stop, they will pay a huge price. How high the price will be depends on them. Iran is feeding them… We are dealing with a terrorist organization that has acquired the capabilities of an army and is manipulating respect for international law. “Hamas is no longer a threat to Israel,” he said.

With the participation of the agency