Israeli Defense Minister: Hamas, Hezbollah No Longer Effective Proxies for Iran

A man inspects the debris and damage at the site of overnight Israeli airstrikes that targeted Beirut's southern suburb of Hadath on October 27, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
A man inspects the debris and damage at the site of overnight Israeli airstrikes that targeted Beirut's southern suburb of Hadath on October 27, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
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Israeli Defense Minister: Hamas, Hezbollah No Longer Effective Proxies for Iran

A man inspects the debris and damage at the site of overnight Israeli airstrikes that targeted Beirut's southern suburb of Hadath on October 27, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
A man inspects the debris and damage at the site of overnight Israeli airstrikes that targeted Beirut's southern suburb of Hadath on October 27, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Sunday that Iran is no longer able to effectively use its proxies Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon against Israel.  

"Over the past year, the security establishment led by the Israel Defense Forces turned the tide of the war and had unprecedented achievements in all arenas of fighting," he said in remarks to a memorial ceremony in Jerusalem.  

Gallant said Hamas was no longer functioning as a military network in Gaza, while Hezbollah's senior command and most of its missile capabilities had been wiped out.  

He said both groups "are no longer an effective tool" to be used by Iran.

Gallant also briefed US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on the success of Israel's strikes on Iran and discussed "strategic opportunities" that may have arisen, Gallant's office said on Sunday.

"Gallant discussed initial assessments regarding the success of the strikes against missile manufacturing facilities, surface-to-air missile arrays and Iranian aerial capabilities," it said.

"Minister Gallant also discussed the strategic opportunities that have risen as a result of operational achievements, in both the northern and southern arenas," the statement said, referring to fighting in Lebanon and Gaza. 



Independent Israeli Commission Blames Netanyahu and Others for October 2023 Attack

A protester walks between vehicles as people protest demanding the release of hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, ahead of a possible ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, in Tel Aviv, Israel, November 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A protester walks between vehicles as people protest demanding the release of hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, ahead of a possible ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, in Tel Aviv, Israel, November 26, 2024. (Reuters)
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Independent Israeli Commission Blames Netanyahu and Others for October 2023 Attack

A protester walks between vehicles as people protest demanding the release of hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, ahead of a possible ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, in Tel Aviv, Israel, November 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A protester walks between vehicles as people protest demanding the release of hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, ahead of a possible ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, in Tel Aviv, Israel, November 26, 2024. (Reuters)

The independent civilian commission of inquiry into the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel has found Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly responsible for the failures leading up to the attack, alongside former defense ministers, the army chief and the heads of the security services.

The civil commission presented its findings today after a four-month probe in which it heard some 120 witnesses. It was set up by relatives of victims of the Hamas attack, in response to the absence of any state probe.

The commission determined that the Israeli government, its army and security services “failed in their primary mission of protecting the citizens of Israel.”

It said Netanyahu was responsible for ignoring “repeated warnings” ahead of Oct. 7, 2023 for what it described as his appeasing approach over the years toward Hamas, and for “undermining all decision-making centers, including the cabinet and the National Security Council, in a way that prevented any serious discussion” on security issues.

The commission further determined that the military and defense leaders bear blame for ignoring warnings from within the army, and for reducing the army’s presence along the Gaza border while relying excessively on technological means.

On the day of the Hamas attack, the report says, the army’s response was both slow and lacking.

The civil commission called for the immediate establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the Oct. 7 attack.

Netanyahu has opposed launching a state commission of inquiry, arguing that such an investigation should begin only once the war is over.