80% of Hezbollah missiles now destroyed by IDF, says Israeli Defense Minister Gallant

Hezbollah is estimated to have lost over 80% of its long-range rockets since the start of the war, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said amid a sudden push for a ceasefire in Lebanon that includes two of U.S. President Joe Biden’s top envoys rushing to Israel on Thursday.

Gallant told IDF officers that Israel estimates Hezbollah’s long-range arsenal had been degraded to around 20% of its pre-war status, during a visit to the army’s Northern Command on Tuesday.

“The achievements of the IDF in Lebanon are extremely impressive. We have eliminated the chain of command and control of Hezbollah, and I estimate the missile and rocket capability they have left is at 20%.”

According to military sources speaking to the Jerusalem Post, Gallant meant the supply of longer-range projectiles, estimated to stand at around 50,000 before the war. In addition, Hezbollah was thought to have 100,000 additional, shorter-range munitions, of which the IDF estimates it destroyed around half so far.

Gallant’s public comments came after reports from among the IDF brass that the army sees the goals of the southern Lebanon campaign as mostly achieved and is now awaiting instructions on how to proceed from the political leadership.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the issue with several politicians, intelligence chiefs and generals in a high-level meeting on Tuesday evening, according to Channel 12 News.

A team led by Strategic Affairs minister and Netanyahu confidante, Ron Dermer, reportedly created a roadmap to end the war in the north and recommended Israel to adopt it, in a bid to exploit Hezbollah’s current weakness to force it to accept terms.

Following Tuesday’s reports that negotiations between Israel and Lebanese representatives were in “advanced stages,” Axios reported that Amos Hochstein, who leads negotiations between Hezbollah and Israel, and Brett McGurk, Biden’s top Middle East envoy, would arrive in Israel on Thursday to try and finalize a ceasefire deal.

This report underlines the sudden advance in the talks, as Kan News reported that Hochstein just last week had declined a request to continue on to Israel after his last Beirut visit, arguing that there was “no point” in coming as the talks appeared stuck at the time.

According to Israeli officials, Hochstein is expected to present a formal ceasefire proposal he drew up after hearing the latest positions of Israel and Hezbollah.

Israeli and U.S. officials told Axios they believe a deal could be reached within several weeks, as the heavy series of Israeli blows against Hezbollah these past months, culminating with the assassination of the terror group’s leader, have finally brought it to the negotiating table by waiving its demand to connect a ceasefire to the end of the Gaza War.