Israel’s new defense minister, Israel Katz, declared on Sunday that Israel has defeated Hezbollah, highlighting the elimination of the Lebanese terrorist organization’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, as a major victory.

Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike on September 27th when the Israel Defense Forces attacked the Iran-backed group’s headquarters in southern Beirut.

Late last month, the Israeli military also reported the elimination of Hashem Safieddine, who was widely anticipated to assume leadership of Hezbollah after Nasrallah’s death.

“Now it is our duty to continue applying pressure to reap the benefits of this triumph,” Katz stated on Sunday during a ceremony at Israel’s foreign ministry.

Katz further emphasized that Israel is not seeking to interfere in Lebanon’s internal affairs, having “learned its lessons.” He expressed hope that an international coalition would leverage this opportunity politically and that Lebanon would join other nations in normalizing relations with Israel.

On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, before subsequently announcing Katz as Gallant’s successor.

This move comes as Israel is engaged in multiple conflicts, confronting Hamas in Gaza and exchanging long-range strikes with Iran.

In subsequent statements to the media, Gallant disclosed his disagreements with Netanyahu on three key issues: the drafting of Haredi men into the army; securing the release of hostages; and the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into intelligence failures leading up to the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks.

Israeli forces conducted strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on Sunday, again targeting the neighborhood where Safieddine was killed last month.

Hezbollah also launched multiple rockets into northern Israel and claimed responsibility for a drone attack that caused damage to Netanyahu’s residence.

Digital’s Anders Hagstrom and Reuters contributed to this report.