Transcript [00:00] Rabbi Wiki. Um, look, reasonable men can [00:04] disagree about what's going on, but I [00:06] think the targeting situation, and I [00:08] just think there are two sets of [00:09] objectives here is really not working as [00:12] an alliance. I'll I'll I'll no one could [00:14] ever convince me of that. But talk to us [00:16] about Lebanon. Talk to us about what [00:18] what's happening now. Is is that going [00:20] to be a major major incursion? Is that [00:24] strategic? I I my understanding from [00:27] reports of a major bombing campaign uh [00:29] early this morning in Lebanon by the IDF [00:32] and uh it it appears like preparations [00:36] for a ground invasion. [00:38] >> Oh, a significant one. There's been uh [00:40] there's been a fairly significant [00:42] reserve callup uh and a lot of ground [00:45] forces have moved up there. They're [00:47] absolutely the Israelis are absolutely [00:49] planning for a ground invasion. And [00:51] you're absolutely right to refer to it [00:52] as another front in this same war. It it [00:55] very literally is because theah [00:58] is Iran. They're not even we call them a [01:02] proxy the same way we call the Houthi a [01:04] proxy or the Iraqi militias a proxy, but [01:07] is actually has a different relationship [01:08] to Tehran. They're actually an arm of [01:11] Iran. Meaning when Hassan Nalla was [01:14] killed, his replacement was appointed in [01:16] Tehran. They're actually like when the [01:18] beepers blew up, one of the beepers was [01:20] on the ambassador of Iran in in in [01:22] Beirut. So they're actually Iran. And [01:24] that's that's an important point here. [01:26] So if Israel's at war with Iran, they're [01:29] also at war withah. Andah made a massive [01:32] mistake a couple days into the war where [01:34] they started firing rockets at Israel as [01:37] as part of the as part of this war. They [01:40] they started it here. And the Israelis, [01:43] I said this to you last time I was on [01:44] your show, it was a mistake that I that [01:46] the Israelis were actually kind of [01:47] hoping they'd make because this goes [01:49] back to the ceasefire with going back [01:51] more than a year where the Lebanese [01:54] government committed itself to disarmah [01:56] by the end of 2025. And of course, they [01:59] did nothing of the sort. They don't even [02:00] have the ability to do it. But the [02:02] Israelis sat back and said, "Okay, you [02:04] know, we'll give you a chance. Go for [02:05] it. We'll see if you can do it." Um and [02:08] and they never did. And the Israelis are [02:12] once and for all going to go in there [02:13] and get rid of this threat on our [02:14] northern border. And quietly behind the [02:17] scenes, the Lebanese and some of them [02:19] not so quietly. There's more public [02:20] figures who are saying this. They're [02:22] grateful to the Israelis to finally [02:24] liberate the country of Lebanon from [02:26] this Iranian occupation it's been under [02:28] for the last four decades. Uh so the [02:30] Israelis are planning a real a real [02:32] invasion. They're going to be they're [02:34] already clearing out the populations [02:36] from the southern part of Lebanon uh and [02:39] looking to recreate a kind of buffer [02:41] zone up to the Latani River which is [02:43] about 18 miles from the Israeli border [02:47] which has all that entire area has been [02:49] a kind of hornets nest of uh ofbah [02:52] tunnels and and weapons depots and and [02:55] towns that are basically operatives with [02:57] their families. So, Israel, Israel means [02:59] business this time and plans to once and [03:02] for all rid Lebanon of [03:06] what's happening. [03:07] >> Uh, Rabbi, you and I are friends, but as [03:10] you know and people know, we disagree on [03:12] a lot, but we're still friends. Uh, one [03:14] thing I've said is the greater Israel [03:16] project brought on this disaster in Gaza [03:19] and particularly what I call the [03:21] two-state solution of the Qatar of Qatar [03:24] financing in Turkey being the security [03:26] guarantee with President Trump's border [03:28] of peace and he's kind of signed off on [03:29] it. Last night, a helicopter was shot [03:32] down it looks like or or or had [03:34] mechanical problems. I think it was [03:35] actually taken out uh with uh with a [03:38] number of Qatar and Turkish military [03:41] officials together. Is the whole [03:44] situation in Gaza, that whole framework [03:47] of peace, is that just really by the [03:49] board? Is that not going to happen now [03:51] given the expanding intensity of this [03:54] particularly if there's going to [03:55] actually be ground troops in Lebanon? [03:58] You know, the Arab nations and the uh [04:00] and and the Persians are going to dig in [04:01] even harder. Do you think the whole [04:02] thing in Gaza is just over and finished [04:05] with and we'll have to go back and and [04:07] think some of it. The border of peace, [04:09] the Qataris as financiers and the Turks [04:11] as the security guarantors on the soil [04:14] of Israel ain't going to happen. [04:17] >> Well, that's a great question. Uh what's [04:19] going to happen in Gaza? I I think from [04:20] the Israelis perspective, they're trying [04:22] to kind of keep it in a holding pattern, [04:24] keep it on a low boil until we see which [04:26] way things go with the war in Iran [04:29] because uh dealing with the Gaza [04:32] situation where there's in in a reality [04:34] where there's no longer an Iranian [04:36] regime, which is not a done deal yet, [04:38] but dealing with dealing with it where [04:40] there's no longer an Iranian regime and [04:41] no longer abah on our northern border uh [04:44] is very different than dealing with it [04:46] where there is. And we also don't know [04:47] where the Gulf States, Saudis, and even [04:50] and you know where they're all going to [04:52] fall out in terms of relations with [04:54] Israel uh and relations with the United [04:56] States after this is all said and done. [04:58] We don't know what's going to happen if [04:59] Lebanon is is actually rid of and [05:02] normalizes relations with Israel. [05:04] There's a lot of different pieces of the [05:06] puzzle and including the Egyptians. How [05:09] are the Egyptians going to respond? [05:10] They're they're always hedging and [05:11] playing and playing all sides of [05:13] everything. a big question is always the [05:16] Saudis. Uh, you know, the Saudis are [05:18] always also waffling. You know, not [05:21] waffling, they're always playing both [05:22] sides of everything. And where that all [05:24] shakes down is going to have a lot of [05:26] impact on how we move forward with Gaza. [05:29] And I think from the Israeli [05:30] perspective, we'd rather not deal with [05:32] that headon. And I think that that's why [05:34] Kamas, no one's noticed this because [05:37] because there's been other headlines in [05:38] the Middle East, but Kamas has been [05:40] scrambling to restart negotiations just [05:42] in the last just since this war has [05:44] started because they're in a tight spot. [05:46] their two patrons, Qatar and Iran, are [05:49] at war with each other and they got [05:50] themselves into a pickle where they they [05:53] praised Ali Kamayi on the first day of [05:56] the war and and said, you know, and were [05:58] cheering for Iran and the Qataris looked [06:00] at them and said, "You better walk that [06:02] back or we're going to cut you off." So [06:04] they so they walked it back and and told [06:06] and and condemned Iran for bombing its [06:08] Arab neighbors. And then turned to Kamas [06:10] and said, "What are you doing? We've [06:12] been standing with you for years and now [06:13] you're condemning Iran." So they they're [06:16] stuck. But uh in terms of what's going [06:18] to happen in Gaza, it's just going to [06:20] have to wait until until the Iran war is [06:22] over because we don't know what the [06:24] Middle East is going to be. [06:27] >> Uh Rabbi, where do people get your [06:30] content? Particularly your videos are [06:31] always, I think, great to give people [06:33] the perspective of what's happening in [06:35] Israel in a very accessible and [06:37] clear-minded way. Although everybody may [06:39] not agree with it, you at least get it. [06:41] >> That's fine. [06:42] >> It's accessible. Where do people go? and [06:44] and for your columns. [06:46] >> Oh, thank you very much. So, uh, for my [06:49] columns, you can go to the Jerusalem [06:50] Post. You can find my author page there. [06:52] And, uh, for the videos, go to Israel [06:54] 365 News on YouTube. We're uploading [06:57] videos multiple times a week, almost [06:59] every day now. And Israel 365action.com. [07:03] That's the website you see up on your [07:04] screen now. Just sign up there for our [07:05] newsletter and you'll get uh, news and [07:08] information from Israel. Um, and won't [07:11] cost you anything. And you'll get our [07:12] updates. You'll get all the videos, too. [07:13] They're all up on that website. Or and [07:15] you can follow me on X, Rabbi PW.
