Hillel Neuer appeared on Fox News with Trace Gallagher and Lisa Daftari to discuss the U.N.’s condemnatory response to the recent explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah terrorists.
Trace Gallagher: Hundreds of people injured, at least 20 killed in another round of explosions inside Hezbollah’s home country of Lebanon. This time, it was walkie-talkies and solar equipment that blew up. Let’s bring in The Foreign Desk Editor-in-Chief, Lisa Daftari, and UN Watch Executive Director, Hillel Neuer. Thank you both for coming on. Senator Tom Cotton made a good point today about these exploding devices. He said this…
Senator Tom Cotton (recorded video): Whoever is behind these bombings, how do you think Hezbollah operatives feel right now about using their cell phone or their tablet or their laptop or turning on their car ignition or even using the toaster or the coffee maker or the refrigerator? Of course, these explosions are going to wreak havoc inside of Hezbollah.
Trace Gallagher: He’s right, Lisa, they’ve got to be a little jumpy inside Lebanon.
Lisa Daftari: Absolutely. This is what Israel has been going through, not only for 11 months, but for years and years. It’s psychological warfare. It’s exactly that this was an unprecedented attack, and a lot of war experts are calling it exactly that. It was unprecedented in the sense that it was so targeted, so impactful, it caused physical harm. It was so incredibly precise. But it also delivered a very, very important message, not just to Hezbollah, but to Hamas and, of course, the Islamic Republic in Iran.
Trace Gallagher: Interesting, because a former CIA counterterrorism specialist, Hillel, said the following quote, “This was a hell of an operation. It’s probably the most impressive kinetic intelligence operation I’ve ever seen. They have now restored that notion of deterrence based on fear, this notion that Israel has eyes everywhere.” It reminds me a little of the killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, but on a bigger scale, what do you think about this Hillel?
Hillel Neuer: Look, there’s no question that in the history of modern warfare, we’re not aware of a more precise, pinpoint, targeted operation, which exemplifies the principles that the U.N. is supposed to care about, like proportionality. And yet, incredibly, the U.N. Secretary General, the U.N. Human Rights Chief, have found ways, absurdly, to condemn Israel without offering any other alternative way that Israel could have more precisely targeted terrorists who’ve been firing 8,500 missiles at Israel unprovoked since October 8th.
Trace Gallagher: It is amazing to me. The Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, said the following, “The center of gravity is shifting to the north. This means that we are moving forces, resources and energy to the north… I estimate that we are at the start of a new phase in this war.” Is it moving north? And if so, Lisa, does Iran respond? What happens?
Lisa Daftari: Well, of course, this is a wake up call for everyone. The war with Hezbollah and Lebanon was imminent, right? So many times we talked about, is it going to be now? Is this going to start now? And now, it’s as though they’ve been so embarrassed that if there’s going to be a war, it’s going to be now. Now, whether this will be in conjunction with the Islamic Republic, will they launch an attack from Iranian soil, or will they wait and recalibrate and launch it from Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, or will they do something in cahoots with Hamas in Gaza and the West Bank? They are everywhere. We know that Israel is fighting this war on multiple, multiple fronts. But the one thing I do want to add is the symbolic attack that this was on Iran’s regime. Iran’s regime attacks women on the streets that are protesting, and they gouge out their eyes. And so many of these Hezbollah operatives lost their eyes in this war. So the poetic justice and the symbolic attack that was served here is also quite significant.
Trace Gallagher: The Washington Post asked the following question here, Hillel, “Hezbollah device attacks: Is this a prelude to war, or an alternative? Is there an alternative to war, Hillel?
Hillel Neuer: Absolutely. Hezbollah has to stop firing missiles at Israel. It’s got to withdraw from the area which is south of the Litani River. Under U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, Hezbollah is supposed to be disarmed. Hezbollah’s got to end the terrorist war they started on October 8th. They’ve got to allow the nearly 100,000 Israelis who were forced to evacuate northern Israel to return to their homes. The moment Hezbollah stops the war against Israel, which it had launched on October 8th, peace can come immediately.
Trace Gallagher: Yes. Hillel Neuer, Lisa Daftari, thank you both.
