Israeli PM warns Hezbollah 'would make mistake of life' if it goes to war
(Baonghean.vn) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told troops stationed near the Lebanese border on Sunday that Hezbollah “would be making the mistake of its life” if it got involved in the Israel-Hamas war. Netanyahu warned that Lebanon would be “devastated” if it retaliated.
“If Hezbollah decides to go to war, it will be a second Lebanon War,” Netanyahu said, referring to the 2006 conflict in which Israel invaded southern Lebanon and hit Beirut with airstrikes in response to Hezbollah raids on Israel. Some 165 Israelis and more than 1,000 Lebanese were killed in the month-long conflict.
“Hezbollah will make the mistake of its life,” Netanyahu said, adding: “We will strike that rebel with unimaginable force and the consequences for Hezbollah and for Lebanon will be devastating.”
Israeli and Hezbollah forces have been engaged in tit-for-tat missile and artillery fire since the conflict with Hamas erupted two weeks ago. Although the Lebanese paramilitary group has sent drones and some infiltrators across the border, there have been no large-scale attacks and Israel has so far avoided opening a second front in the north.
However, Lebanese militias have stepped up their attacks in recent days, firing dozens of rockets at Israeli military bases and killing an Israeli soldier in a rocket attack on Friday. Israeli forces have responded with artillery and drone strikes. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Saturday that Hezbollah “has decided to enter the war” and would pay “a heavy price” if it did so.
Behind the scenes, however, the United States is warning Israel not to get drawn into a two-front war, The New York Times reported. According to the newspaper, U.S. officials view Israeli Defense Minister Gallant as a Hezbollah hawk whose actions risk dragging Israel into a war it would struggle to win. Moreover, with the United States backing Israel and Iran backing Hezbollah, such a war could easily spiral into a broader, more destructive conflict.
The group’s deputy leader, Naim Qassem, said Hezbollah is currently “at the center of the battle” between Israel and Hamas. Qassem explained that Hezbollah’s goal at the moment is to “weaken the enemy and let Israel know that we are ready” for a possible major escalation. Tens of thousands of Israelis have been evacuated from settlements near the Lebanese border. Residents of 14 communities were ordered to leave for temporary housing as of Saturday morning, while 28 other settlements were vacated last week./.
