Israeli Foreign Minister: Hezbollah is a Common Enemy for Israel and Lebanon

SadaNews: Israeli Foreign Minister, Gidon Sa'ar, described Hezbollah on Wednesday as a "common enemy" for both Israel and Lebanon, on the eve of the resumption of a new round of direct negotiations between the two sides in Washington.

Sa'ar stated that Hezbollah represents an "obstacle" to reaching a peace agreement and normalization between Israel and Lebanon, calling on the Lebanese government to cooperate in confronting Iranian influence in the country.

He clarified that Israel has made a "historic decision" to conduct direct negotiations with the Lebanese side, confirming that direct dialogue will resume on Thursday in the U.S. capital, Washington, marking the first such step at this level in over 40 years.

The Israeli minister considered that Hezbollah "harms the sovereignty of Lebanon and jeopardizes its future" just as it threatens Israel's security, urging the Lebanese government to cooperate against what he called the "state of terrorism" established by the group.

Sa'ar downplayed the scale of technical disputes between the two countries, stating: "We do not have major disagreements with Lebanon... there are a limited number of border demarcation disputes that can be resolved.".

He directly invited the Lebanese government to exhibit "courage" and free itself from what he described as the "Iranian occupation", asserting that this cooperation is in the interest of Lebanon's sovereignty and independence.

Israel has launched extensive strikes across Lebanon and has advanced into the south after Hezbollah entered the war supporting Iran on March 2nd.

Despite a ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel that began on Friday, Israeli soldiers are still active in southern Lebanon, while the Israeli occupation army Minister Israel Katz stated on Sunday that Tel Aviv would use its "full force" if threatened.

Under the terms of the ceasefire, Israel states that it retains the right to act against "planned or imminent or ongoing attacks".