Israeli ambassador says “game is over,” calls for Hezbollah disarmament control

Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, has stated that his country is entering the current round of negotiations with the Lebanese government with a new initiative, describing the latest developments as “the game is over.”

In an interview with Walla, ahead of a new round of talks involving senior Israeli and Lebanese officials at the U.S. State Department, he said that despite official statements by the Lebanese government about disarmament in the south of the country, the situation on the ground is different, Caliber.Az reports.

According to him, since the start of the operation, the Israeli side has discovered around 8,000 rockets, shells and other weapons, as well as tunnels and Hezbollah bases.

“We need to see specifically how the Lebanese government strengthens its army and acts in practice,” he noted.

Leiter made it clear that Israel hopes for a ceasefire, but will defend its “soldiers and citizens under all circumstances”, and will “in no way agree to halt the process while allowing Hezbollah to rearm.”

He added that Israel is proposing a phased, on-the-ground approach. “We will jointly define a specific area and plan with them how to clear that area, and then continue further,” he said.

Leiter also noted that Israel is ready in parallel for a broader diplomatic process.

“We are ready for two tracks. The first is to negotiate a full peace as if Hezbollah did not exist — borders, embassies, visas, tourism, everything. Such an agreement could be reached within a few months. But it will depend on the success of the second track — the disarmament of Hezbollah,” he explained.

The diplomat stressed that the Lebanon issue is closely tied to the U.S. strategy toward Iran.

He referred to a recent meeting with US President Donald Trump, the vice president and the secretary of state, during which nuclear and ballistic threats were discussed, as well as ending Iran’s support for proxies, including Hezbollah.

“The president asked me about negotiations with Iran,” Leiter said.

“I replied that for us it is necessary to permanently eliminate the nuclear threat, permanently eliminate the ballistic threat, and, of course, any agreement must include ending support for proxies,” he added.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov