Our forces are continuing to strike Hezbollah. Concurrently we are conducting negotiations with Lebanon. These negotiations have not taken place for over 40 years. There are two central goals. First, the disarming of Hezbollah.
And second, a sustainable peace. That's a goal. But they're meeting with Lebanon today, and they had a meeting earlier this week, so it was brokered by Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. And joining us now is Ofra Falk. He is a foreign policy adviser to the Prime Minister, Netanyahu.
Welcome, Mr. Falk. Thanks so much for joining us. Thank you, Brian. Thanks for having me.
Have you stopped to a degree hitting Hezbollah or leveled off because the president said. Uh to kind of Not knock it off, but kind of low-key it.
Well, again, we're Complete partners with the United States and obviously President Trump with war in war and in peace. We're complete partners. And in terms of Lebanon, We're hitting Hezbollah. Hezbollah is a genocidal terrorist organization, and if we learned anything from the October 7th Atrocities is that we cannot allow a genocidal terrorist organization anywhere near our border. We are implementing that lesson as we speak right now.
As for future negotiations and ongoing negotiations with Lebanon, we have two main goals. One, It is to dismantle Hezbollah. That's a mutual goal for both Lebanon and for Israel. And two, we hope to purge or to forge a true peace, real peace. Peace-proof strength with Lebanon, as we did with President Trump on four different peace agreements.
you know, brokered with uh President Trump. And Prime Minister Nathaniel.
So uh Pretty amazing. On October 8th, the story came out that you guys, when realizing we're heading towards a ceasefire, you took massive action to the point where they said what you guys did on April 8th was more devastating to Hezbollah than even the Pager and Walkie-Talkie attacks. 50 aircraft hit 100-plus Hezbollah targets in a very short period of time, taking out hundreds of Hezbollah fighters. What was the reason for the blitz? Is because you knew the ceasefire was coming?
It was a pre-planned operation, and you're right, Brian. It was the biggest operation we've done since the Since the pager operation, where we took out hundreds of Khizbalataris then, and now we also took out hundreds of Khizbalataris. It was pre-planned, and that's what brought them to their knees. That's what's bringing them to their knees. doctor Ofir Falk is our guest, and he comes to us from Israel, adviser to the Prime Minister on foreign policy, which is basically we're focused on.
What is left of that organization, do you think, in terms of missiles, in terms of personnel?
Well, Hezbollah, again, we degraded it significantly. We've taken out. They had about 150,000 missiles targeted at Israel. We've degraded that. immensely.
We've taken out Almost two thousand terrorists since February, since they launched attack status again. And we've taken out about six thousand since twenty twenty three. they've been degraded significantly. And that is what has enabled direct negotiations with Lebanon. Because you need to understand, we had a ceasefire.
We had a ceasefire with Lebanon november twenty fourth. What did that ceasefire say? The ceasefire said that the Lebanese government needed to. Dismantle Hezbollah and demilitarize southern Lebanon. That did not happen.
That did not happen because they either lacked the will or the ability.
Now that Hezbollah has been degraded significantly, Hopefully, the Lebanese government can step up to the plate and do the right thing because, up until now, Lebanon has been held hostage. By Hezbollah. Hezbollah is a proxy of Iran. They were sponsored and funded by Iran for years. And it's just an additional wing of Iran which has been shouting or chanting death to America, death to Israel for 47 years.
And we're putting that to an end. We're putting that to an end in Iran and in Lebanon.
So let's focus on Iran for a second. For the most part, in terms of the individual leaders, your intelligence has allowed you to take out, would you say, what are the number of political and military leaders you've taken out since this operation began?
Well, we took out scores of liters. of regime uh leaders and uh nuclear bomb scientists, both in Operation. Rising Lion in June that we did the Midnight Hammer operation with the United States. And again, now. In a roaring line operation, and we've taken out scores of their first-tier leadership, the regime's first-tier leadership.
We've taken out a large part of their commanders and their second tier leadership.
Now they have a D-leau, more or less, leadership that needs to be dealt with. At the end of the day, our objective in this operation. Was to make sure they have no nuclear capability, to degrade or to reduce their ballistic missile capability. And to create the conditions for the Iranian people to do the right thing. We have had.
Enormous achievements, side by side, wing by wing, with the United States. We've had enormous achievements. We've brought them down to their knees. We've taken out thousands of missiles. We've taken out hundreds of launchers.
We've taken out a large part of the regime's leadership and commanders. We've hit their economy, the regime's economy, like never before. They've lost something like $250 billion. And today, the world sees. That this genocidal regime is trying to hold the world or to blackmail the world with the straits of hormones, with the oil.
You could only imagine what they would do if they had the bomb. If they had a nuclear bomb, they would hold the world blackmail. And there would be very little that we could do about that.
So President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu did the right thing, and they're saving the world. I think so. You're surprised that this regime hasn't fallen yet? They've been hit very, very, very hard. And I think they will fall.
But again, that's up to the Iranian people to do the right thing. For the Iranian people to take, you know, to stand up to the plate and to do the right thing. For that to happen, I think that opening the internet, which has been closed for 45 days, is almost as important as opening up the straits. How can you do that? Is there a plan in place to do just that?
Opening up the internet.
Well again, right now there's negotiations, it's a turning point. I wouldn't say it's the end of the war, but I would say it's a a turning point. And if If Iran gives up the material. Reduces the ballistic missiles. stop sponsoring terrorism, their proxies all over the world, Hezbollah, Hamas and other places as well in South America as well.
And if they stop slaughtering civilians like they did Just a few months ago, and they slaughtered over 40,000 civilians. If they stop doing that, The war can end. But again, give up the material, ballistic missiles, stop sponsoring terrorism and stop slaughtering civilians. The rest, Iranian people will do.
Well, do you think that this regime, what's left of it, is going to be more moderate or more militant? It's hard to say, what I can say is that they've been degraded significantly. They have uh Very Little power left. I think that their uh neighbors, they've been They've been bullies for forty-seven years in the region. They've bullied the entire region, their neighbors, the entire Middle East.
And now those bullies have been hit back. They've been hit by their neighbors as well, by the EOAE, who stepped up to the plate and have done incredible things.
So what we saw for forty seven years, we're not going to see anymore. And uh The President said enough is enough, the Prime Minister said enough is enough, and I actually think we have a great future ahead. Again, it could either go the easy way. The easy way, as the President said, if they adhere to those four demands made to them by the President. Or it'll go by the or it'll have to be done the hard way.
But they will not have nuclear capabilities. Iran will not have nuclear capabilities. That's essential for the future of the world. And lastly, Dr. Ophir Fark, our guest from Israel.
Uh advisor to President Netanyahu, uh Prime Minister, Netanyahu. After the last series of talks, it came out that the Iranians in that room could not make the final decision on any deal, and that has to be zero enrichment, no ballistic missiles, no funding of the proxies, let alone opening up the strait. And then it became clear to J.D. Vance and his crew these guys couldn't make the Uh couldn't make the decision. Who can?
Who is still alive? They can make that decision. I think they have a lot of Gaps and struggles within their organization, within the regime. At the end of the day, they will need to make the decision to give up those things. Or as the President said, we'll have to make up that decision.
We'll make that decision. But one thing is for sure: Iran cannot have nuclear bombs and cannot hold the world hostage anymore. There already is heavy equipment moving through, clearing up some of the missile sites. Does that concern you? Pardon me, say that again.
Uh the missile sites. Does that concern you? Um Well, we are watching very, very closely. We're watching very closely. And if they make another mistake, it might be their last.
Dr. Ophir Falk, thanks so much for your time. I know you've got a busy day, and as always, we'll see if the ceasefire continues or not, but you're ready for anything. I appreciate it. Thank you, Brian.
