'IDF on U.S. Ceasefire Calls: Hezbollah Attacked Us for a Year and ‘No
One Talked About a Ceasefire’ Until We Fought Back'

<https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2024/09/28/idf-on-u-s-ceasefire-calls-hezbollah-attacked-us-for-a-year-and-no-one-talked-about-a-ceasefire-until-we-fought-back/>

'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.”'