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Israel’s Army Chief Says ‘Fully Responsible’ for Oct 7 Attack 

Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Herzi Halevi attends a wreath-laying ceremony marking Israel's national Holocaust Remembrance Day in the Hall of Remembrance at Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre, in Jerusalem, 06 May 2024. (EPA)
Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Herzi Halevi attends a wreath-laying ceremony marking Israel's national Holocaust Remembrance Day in the Hall of Remembrance at Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre, in Jerusalem, 06 May 2024. (EPA)
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Israel’s Army Chief Says ‘Fully Responsible’ for Oct 7 Attack 

Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Herzi Halevi attends a wreath-laying ceremony marking Israel's national Holocaust Remembrance Day in the Hall of Remembrance at Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre, in Jerusalem, 06 May 2024. (EPA)
Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Herzi Halevi attends a wreath-laying ceremony marking Israel's national Holocaust Remembrance Day in the Hall of Remembrance at Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre, in Jerusalem, 06 May 2024. (EPA)

Israel’s army chief Herzi Halevi said on Sunday he was "fully responsible" for what happened on October 7 when Hamas launched its unprecedented attack on Israel.

"Every day, I feel its weight on my shoulders, and in my heart I fully understand its significance," he said.

"I am the commander who sent your sons and daughters into battle, from which they did not return, and to positions from which they were kidnapped."

The Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Some 250 Israelis and foreigners were kidnapped by militants and taken to Gaza during the October 7 attack by Hamas.

Israel estimates that 128 are still being held captive there, including 36 who the military says are dead.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign aimed at eliminating Hamas in Gaza has killed at least 35,034 people, most of them women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.

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Geagea Calls on Hezbollah to Work with Lebanese Army

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea. (Lebanese Forces)
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea. (Lebanese Forces)
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Geagea Calls on Hezbollah to Work with Lebanese Army

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea. (Lebanese Forces)
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea. (Lebanese Forces)

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea urged on Friday Hezbollah to engage with the Lebanese army and devise a plan to dismantle its military infrastructure south and north of the Litani river.

In a press conference Friday, Geagea criticized Hezbollah for opening a front with Israel and accused the Shiite group of committing a “major crime” against the Lebanese people.

“We could have done without the martyrdom of more than 4,000 people, the displacement of thousands and the destruction across the country,” he said. “Despite all these tragedies, Hezbollah continues to talk about a victory using a bizarre and disconnected logic that has no basis in reality.”

Geagea’s comments came two days after a US-brokered ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel went into effect. More than 3,900 people have been killed in Lebanon since Israel's conflict with Hezbollah escalated.

Geagea, whose Lebanese Forces Party holds the largest bloc in Lebanon’s 128-member parliament, also addressed Lebanon’s presidential deadlock. The country has been without a president for more than two years.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has scheduled a session for presidential elections in January. "Consultations with opposition factions and our allies will begin in the coming days to explore the possibility of agreeing on presidential candidates and bringing them to parliament,” Geagea said.