Defense Minister Benny Gantz said that in recent decades, "The State of Israel has continued to advance; in technology, high-tech, tourism, agriculture. Lebanon, by contrast, has yielded to terrorism and been left behind. I see the distress of the citizens of this beautiful country and cannot forget the thousands of Lebanese workers who crossed the border every day to make a living and were the hope for a brighter future.
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Speaking at a military ceremony honoring organizations and civilian bodies that assisted in fighting in Lebanon's security zone, Tuesday, Gantz said: "I ask our neighbors here from Lebanon: Is this what you prayed for? Lebanon and its citizens are not Israel's enemies; that is Hezbollah that serves Iran's interests and as a result, harms the residents of Lebanon first and foremost."
Commenting on judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi's election victory in Iran's presidential elections, Gantz said: "This week a new president was elected in Iran, in elections with the lowest voter turnout in 40 years and with no message of hope for his people. 'The hangman' threatens Iran's citizens first and foremost."
Gantz said, "Installing him in the role [of president] proves Iran is radicalizing, expanding, and continuing its development of weapons for mass destruction that could threaten the world, regional stability, and Israel as well. Anyone who makes themselves an Iranian satellite state is taking a risk, harming their citizens, and acting against their own national interests. Israel will stand firm and will not remain silent in the face of the existential threat hovering over it. We are preparing and will continue to prepare plans to prevent that."
He said: "We will always share information, and we will coordinate with our friends, chief among them the United States. In addition, we will always maintain our right, our ability, and our obligation to defend ourselves by ourselves. That is how is it has been, and that is how it will be."
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