Israel Katz: Israel expects UK to prevent arming of Hezbollah
Israel's defense minister said force would be used against any attempt by Iran to smuggle weapons into Lebanon
Defense Minister Israel Katz spoke to his UK counterpart, John Healey, on Thursday on the ceasefire in effect between Israel and Hezbollah.
"We expect Britain to participate in efforts to prevent the arming of Hezbollah," he said, while vowing to use force against any attempt by Iran to smuggle weapons into Lebanon.
Katz stressed that Israel's top priority remains the release of the hostages. He called on the UK to oppose any ceasefire proposal that is not conditioned on their release.
A particular point was raised regarding Iran's ongoing attempts to establish new terrorist fronts against Israel, particularly in the West Bank. Katz warned against Iranian efforts to destabilize the region and called for strengthened cooperation with London to confront this.
Healey reaffirmed his country's support for Israel's right to defend itself. The two officials concluded their meeting by committing to strengthen security ties between their countries.