Amid rising tensions in the Middle East, with Israel and Hezbollah considering options for a pre-emptive strike, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant issued a warning to the Lebanese people.
Gallant stressed that Israel seeks “peace, prosperity and stability on both sides of its northern border,” in contrast to Hezbollah, which “holds Lebanon and its people hostage for its narrow sectarian interests.”
“We will not allow Hezbollah militias to destabilize our borders and the region,” Gallant said. “If Hezbollah continues its aggression, Israel will fight with all its might. Please recall that Nasrallah regrets embarking on a dangerous and miscalculated adventure in August 2006. We hope that he will learn the lessons of the past so that he does not find himself in a dangerous situation in August 2024.”
Gallant then recited an Arabic proverb: “He who plays with fire must prepare for his own destruction.”
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Both Hamas and Hezbollah lost top terrorists in the same week, with Iran and its proxies each blaming Israel for the assassinations. Hezbollah remains intent on avenging the death of its “number two,” Fuad Shukr, and the death this week of another commander, Hassan Fares Jessi, may have strengthened that intent.
Israeli media reported Thursday that Hezbollah plans to attack Israel even if Iran backs down from plans to retaliate for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, which Iranian officials blame on Israel.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met with military commanders as they considered how to deal with Hezbollah. (Photo courtesy of the Israeli Ministry of Defense)
Part of Hezbollah’s advantage lies in its lack of the necessary preparations to launch such an attack, as evidenced by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reporting on Thursday that 25 artillery rounds were fired by Hezbollah, but no one was injured.
Gallant said Thursday that the IDF was “regularly assessing the situation” and maintained a “high state of readiness by all standards” for any response.
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“There is a psychological attempt here by the enemy to instill fear, to tell stories, to stoke fear,” Gallant said, emphasizing the need for “resilience and strength” among the public. “In the face of this, we need to do the right key things: answer to the public, and above all, have the public listen to the instructions of the Civil War Command. This is the authority, and this is how we should respond to the public.”
“We are working to get to a point where we can provide ample warning to the public if necessary and in the meantime allow the public to continue to live their lives as normally as possible,” Gallant said.
A funeral was held for Yasir Nemir Karnish, a former bodyguard for Hezbollah Chairman Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in a clash on the Israeli-Lebanese border in Beirut, Lebanon on July 10, 2024. Karnish’s relatives and Hezbollah supporters attended the funeral. (Hussam Shubaro/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“If Israel perceives Hezbollah attacks as intense, it increases the likelihood that Israel will launch a preemptive strike, especially if it’s part of a multi-pronged offensive,” Jonathan Ruhe, foreign policy director at the American Jewish Institute for National Security Studies, told Fox News Digital.
“The more likely Hezbollah is to launch precision weapons or mass projectiles, the stronger the incentive for Israel to move ‘to the left of the launch sites’ and eliminate these capabilities before they can overwhelm or evade Israeli air defenses,” Ruhe said. “In all likelihood, this will mean taking advantage of the superior operational intelligence Israel has on Hezbollah to strike Hezbollah launchers and command and control facilities in Lebanon.”
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The humiliation of losing the leader of a major and prominent terrorist proxy organization was likely too much for Iran to bear, especially since the death occurred in Tehran, but after nearly two weeks of heightened tensions, Iran indicated it may reconsider its plans, U.S. officials said. He told Politico Regarding that matter.
A combination of regional pressure from Iran’s neighbors and the threat of a direct conflict with the United States is believed to be the main motivation for the United States to redirect some of its assets to the region in order to impress upon Tehran the potential consequences of further escalation.
Army General Michael Eric Kurilla met with Chief of Staff Halevi. (Israel Defense Forces)
US Central Command (CENTCOM) posted on social media platform X that the Air Force deployed the F-22 Raptors on Thursday “as part of a shift in US force posture in the region and to counter threats posed by Iran and Iran-backed groups.”
CENTCOM announced the Raptor deployment a week ago, reiterating the need to deter Iranian attacks on Israel.
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Iranian officials also determined that Haniya was not killed in a missile attack but by a bomb planted in his room, indicating there was a covert operation to kill him – one in which no Iranians were killed. The Times of Israel reported:.
U.S. officials still expect Iran to respond to Haniyeh’s death, but any reaction is likely to be more measured as time passes.
Fox News Digital’s Liz Frieden and Yonat Friling contributed to this report.
