Fired Israeli ex-defence minister Gallant slams Netanyahu, claims Hezbollah could have been 'wiped out' in Oct 2023

Israel's former defence minister Yoav Gallant in an interview aired on Thursday (Feb 6) slammed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being overly hesitant in using force against militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah. The general-turned-lawmaker also claimed that Israel could've wiped Iran-backed Hezbollah from existence in October 2023, as the "beeper operation" that saw thousands of Hezbollah pagers explode was ready long before the militants launched their attack.

'A missed opportunity' against Hezbollah

Add WION as a Preferred Source

In his first televised interview since being dismissed in November, Gallant disclosed details of the "beeper operation," which he said was a long-prepared strategy designed to dismantle Hezbollah's military capabilities.

The operation, which involved detonating explosives in pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah operatives, was carried out on September 16-17. However, as per Gallant, if executed earlier, it could have dealt a crippling blow to the group in October 2023.

"Hezbollah as a military organization would have ceased to exist — no leadership, no missiles or rockets, most of its operatives killed in the field," he said, as quoted by Times of Israel.

Gallant claimed the plan was ready years prior, but was delayed due to Netanyahu's insistence on consulting the US.

"In accordance with his (PM Benjamin Netanyahu) request, I spoke with [US National Security Adviser] Jake Sullivan. After a few minutes, [Strategic Affairs Minister] Ron Dermer joined the conversation, and I received an absolute 'no,'" he recalled.

Netanyahu, he said, feared the repercussions of launching a two-front war with Hezbollah while still reeling from Hamas's October 7 attacks.

"I went back to the prime minister, and I told him, 'We have to do this.' He (Netanyahu) pointed out the window at all the buildings, and told me: 'You see these buildings? All of this will be destroyed by Hezbollah's leftover capacity. After we hit them, they’ll destroy everything you see'," claimed Gallant.

Netanyahu hits back

In conversation with Channel 14, Netanyahu defended his decision, arguing that it would have been a "horrible mistake" and that Hezbollah's residual firepower could have devastated Israeli cities. The prime minister also claimed that only 150 booby-trapped pagers were in Hezbollah's possession in October 2023, "as opposed to thousands that we accumulated" by the September 2024 operation.

Watch | Yoav Gallant Vs Netanyahu: Fired Defence Minister accuses Netanyahu of being overly hesitant

Gallant quickly refuted this, stating the pagers were widely distributed among Hezbollah operatives by October 2023. "The pager operation was prepared years before the war and was ready for activation on October 11," he wrote on X.

"Contrary to what was said, thousands of pagers were in the hands of the terrorists by the time I suggested attacking Hezbollah," he added, arguing that the delay allowed Hezbollah to reduce the eventual operation's impact

He said that by September 2024, "the vast majority of walkie-talkies were in warehouses, and their explosion caused no damage." This, he said, happened because by that time Hezbollah had become suspicious that something was wrong with the devices.

(With inputs from agencies)