Israel warns that “another war” could break out in the region as the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah attacked an Israeli air base and the Jewish nation’s army killed one of the terrorists’ top commanders.
Colonel Herzi Halevi, chief of staff of the Israeli army, said over the weekend that the Israel Defense Forces are increasing their pressure on Hezbollah, a key ally of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, which is fighting Israel in Gaza after of the October 7 attack. .
Halevi said Israel would be effective in stopping Hezbollah’s current rocket bombardment on its northern border “or we will end up with another war.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu added: “I suggest that Hezbollah learn what Hamas has already learned in recent months: no terrorist is immune.
“We are determined to defend our citizens and return northern residents to safety in their homes,” he told his cabinet.
The dire comments came as Israeli forces killed Wissam Hassan al-Tawil, deputy head of a unit of Hezbollah’s Radwan force, in an airstrike on Monday. The IDF has said Radwan is attempting to infiltrate northern Israel.
Al-Tawil died along with another Hezbollah fighter when their Honda SUV was attacked, the terrorist group confirmed, saying the leader died “on the road to Jerusalem,” a phrase used for its fighters who are killed by Israeli forces.
An Israeli airstrike on Monday killed top Hezbollah commander Wissam al-Tawil. AP
Lebanese security forces called the attack “a very painful blow” that will cause an “outbreak.”
But the IDF said its fighter jets were simply targeting Hezbollah infrastructure after the terrorist group launched some 40 rockets into Israel and attacked its air traffic control base on Mount Meron, forcing thousands of Israelis in the north to evacuate.
The Israeli air base suffered some damage in the attack, but no one was killed.
After the attack, Netanyahu told IDF reservists that the country is ready to go to war with Hezbollah if the need arises.
“Of course, we prefer this to be done without a widespread campaign, but that won’t stop us,” he said, according to the Times of Israel.
“We gave them an example of what is happening to their friends in the south; This is what will happen here in the north,” Netanyahu said, referring to Israel’s ground attack on Hamas strongholds in Gaza.
“We will do everything possible to restore security,” he added.
Al-Tawil died along with another Hezbollah fighter when their Honda SUV was hit, Hezbollah officials confirmed. Israeli officials said his warplanes were simply targeting Hezbollah infrastructure when he killed a terrorist commander in Lebanon.
Hezbollah officials said Monday that the attack on the air base was an “initial response” to an airstrike in Beirut last week that killed deputy political leader Saleh al-Arouri.
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, secretary general of Hezbollah, warned Israel in two televised speeches against launching a full-scale war against Lebanon after al-Arouri’s death.
“Whoever thinks of war with us, in a word, will regret it,” Nasrallah said ominously.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati also declared that Israel “intends to drag Lebanon” into further war.
Nasser Kanaani, a representative of Iran’s Foreign Ministry (which supports both Hamas and Hezbollah in their fights against Israel) said that al-Arouri’s death “would certainly ignite another surge in the veins of resistance and motivation to fight against the Zionist occupiers.” – not only in Palestine, but also in the region and among all freedom seekers around the world.”
Tensions have flared along the Israel-Lebanon border in recent days, as Israel accuses Hezbollah of attempting to infiltrate the northern part of the Jewish country. AFP via Getty Images
The terrorist group began firing rockets into Israel shortly after Hamas launched its Oct. 7 attack on the Jewish country, and Hezbollah said it aims to ease the Israeli military’s pressure on Gaza.
In an effort to avoid an all-out war between Israel and Lebanon, President Biden sent some of his top advisers to the Middle East.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken will arrive in Israel on Monday, where he will meet with senior government officials on Tuesday to discuss specific measures to “avoid an escalation,” according to the Washington Post.
“It is in no one’s interest, not in Israel, not in the region, not in the world, for this conflict to extend beyond Gaza,” Blinken spokesman Matthew Miller said on Sunday.
The Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah began firing rockets shortly after Hamas launched its October 7 attack on Israel. AFP via Getty Images
Biden also sent special envoy Amos Hochstein to try to reach an agreement between Israel and Lebanon to begin negotiating a territorial demarcation that delineates where and when the two sides can deploy forces.
US and French officials are also reportedly in talks with the Lebanese government to take control of part of the Lebanon-Israel border instead of Hezbollah, which currently controls the area.
US officials admit that Hezbollah is unlikely to accept the deal.
With post cables
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn