On Saturday’s “CNN This Morning,” IDF Spokesman Maj. Doron Spielman responded to frustration from the White House with Israel over ceasefires by stating that “for an entire year, Hezbollah has been firing rockets, over 9,000 rockets, missiles, and killer drones and no one talked about a ceasefire. Now that Israel’s actually taking the assertion to try to protect its civilians, we’re calling for a ceasefire.” And stated that “the world, instead of demanding [that Israel have] a ceasefire, should be demanding that Hezbollah pull out.”
Co-host Jim Sciutto asked, “[A]mong U.S. officials, there are fears now of a wider conflict in the Middle East, which, as you know, the U.S. has been seeking to avoid, and that was part of the motivation behind ceasefire talks as it relates to Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel, earlier ceasefire talks as it related to Gaza. Did Israel carry out this attack over U.S. objections?”
Spielman responded, “Israel carried out this attack because, as we’ve said from the beginning, Hezbollah is what stands in the way of Israeli civilians moving north and peace in the entire northern part of the country. Israel clearly felt that Nasrallah is a major target. … We work very closely with the United States. They’re our greatest ally, but Israel, at the end of the day, has independence to try to fulfill its military objectives in order to protect its own people.”
Sciutto then asked, “The truth is, though, that U.S. officials have been frustrated by their relationships, certainly, in the White House, with Benjamin Netanyahu, and the perception is that the U.S. has invested diplomatic and other capital and backed Israel, certainly, militarily, since October 7 and prior to October 7, but that Netanyahu isn’t returning the favor as it were, for instance, in terms of getting a ceasefire and hostage release deal across the finish line in Gaza. Is that a fair criticism?”
Spielman answered, “I can tell you, Jim, that the last year has been the greatest challenge in Israel’s history. We are threatened by seven different fronts, the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in the north, Hamas in Gaza, and that’s just to name a few. This is the hour that Israel will look back and the world will look back and say, who stands by Israel in this hour? And the U.S., I’m not a politician, I’m here on behalf of the Army, has been the greatest friend and has supported Israel and understands our objectives. Regarding a ceasefire, for an entire year, Hezbollah has been firing rockets, over 9,000 rockets, missiles, and killer drones and no one talked about a ceasefire. Now that Israel’s actually taking the assertion to try to protect its civilians, we’re calling for a ceasefire. As we’ve said, and as the Israeli Army says, we’re open for anything as long as Israeli civilians can go back to their home[s] and Hezbollah withdraws behind the Litani. What we know is that, right now, Hezbollah, every one of those rockets and missiles is inside one of their own homes, they’re civilian homes. You’ve seen the pictures. They don’t care about Lebanese civilians. They don’t care about Israeli civilians. And the world, instead of demanding [that Israel have] a ceasefire, should be demanding that Hezbollah pull out.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett