JERUSALEM/BEIRUT - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that the disarmament of Hezbollah is a prerequisite for any ceasefire agreement with Lebanon.
In a video statement, he said Lebanon had approached Israel several times over the past month seeking to begin direct talks following Israeli military actions.
"I approved this, subject to two conditions: we want to achieve the disarmament of Hezbollah, and we want a real peace agreement that will last for generations," Netanyahu said.
The campaign against Iran is not over, Netanyahu said in the statement. Pointing at a map of the Middle East, Netanyahu added that the "Iranian axis" wanted to "strangle" Israel and Israel is "strangling" them. "We hit them. We still have more to do," he said.
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In the statement, Netanyahu noted that he has spent much of his life ensuring that Iran will not achieve nuclear weapons, while Iran has long denied seeking to develop them.
Meanwhile, Lebanon's Health Ministry said Saturday that Israeli strikes during the latest round of fighting have killed 2,020 people and wounded 6,436 others since hostilities escalated.
The ministry said the toll reflects cumulative casualties recorded across multiple regions amid continued Israeli airstrikes and cross-border exchanges.
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The escalation followed renewed hostilities involving Hezbollah, which said it launched rockets from southern Lebanon toward Israel on March 2 for the first time since a ceasefire on Nov 27, 2024. The exchange prompted Israel to expand its military campaign across Lebanon.
Lebanon has since been hit by sustained strikes in several areas, with fighting spreading beyond border regions into other parts of the country.
Iran and the United States agreed to a ceasefire on Wednesday. Israel said it would abide by the truce but argued the agreement does not apply to Lebanon. That assertion was rejected by Iran and by mediator Pakistan.
