BBC presenter Martine Croxall claimed that Hezbollah rocket attacks were a response to the terrorist organizations "concern" for Palestinians, in an interview with former Jerusalem Post Editor-in-Chief, Yaakov Katz, on Thursday.
The primary topic was Hezbollah's constant barrage of missile strikes in the North while also covering related issues such as the Gaza hostages throughout the interview. Katz was first asked about a recent accusation made by Human Rights Watch, claiming that Israel is using white phosphorus in southern Lebanon.
Katz emphasized that the larger story is Hezbollah's aggression toward Israel. He questioned why Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed terrorist organization, is firing thousands of rockets into Israel, a country with which it has no territorial dispute, bringing attention to a recent attack where Hezbollah fired a rocket that killed a young couple in the Golan Heights, leaving their three children orphaned.
Katz reiterated that the primary issue is Hezbollah's intent to destroy Israel and kill Israelis and Jews, explaining that Israel's current military actions aim to degrade and eliminate Hamas after the events of the Oct 7 massacre.
As part of a rebuttal, one of the BBC anchors claimed that "Hezbollah are attacking Israel because they are concerned about the deaths of Palestinian civilians."
Katz responded to the claim, saying, "So attacking Israelis with rockets is the way to show concern? That’s ridiculous."
The BBC thinks it’s reasonable for a terrorist group to fire rockets into Israel day after day for 9 months. Yaakov Katz sets them straight @BBCWorld: Hezbollah are acting out because they are concerned about Palestinian civilians@yaakovkatz: So attacking Israelis with… pic.twitter.com/Yyfr2g3Pmk
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) July 17, 2024
Exploiting Israel's vulnerability
"Hezbollah saw Israel in a state of weakness, and wanted a piece of the action," Katz added.
Towards the end of the interview, Katz also expressed his concern about how any broader conflict in the region would likely involve Iran, referencing a significant attack in mid-April where Hezbollah launched 350 rockets, missiles, and drones toward Israel.