TEL AVIV: Israel on Tuesday warned Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement it would be destroyed in the event of a “total war”, after a US envoy called for de-escalation on Israel-Lebanon border as tensions flare.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz’s remarks followed Hezbollah’s release of a nine-minute video featuring drone footage allegedly showing northern Israel, including strategic areas such as the city and port of Haifa.
“We are very close to the moment when we will decide to change the rules of the game against Hezbollah and Lebanon,” Katz said in a statement from his office. “In a total war, Hezbollah will be destroyed and Lebanon will be hit hard.”
US envoy Amos Hochstein, who is visiting Lebanon, emphasized the need for an “urgent” de-escalation of the cross-border fire between Hezbollah and Israel. “The conflict… between Israel and Hezbollah has gone on for long enough,” Hochstein said during his visit to Beirut. “It’s in everyone’s interest to resolve it quickly and diplomatically — that is both achievable and it is urgent.”
Hezbollah intensified its attacks on northern Israel after an Israeli strike killed one of its senior commanders last week. The group’s video highlighted Israeli military, defense, and energy facilities, as well as civilian and military infrastructure.
Hochstein met with Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a key Hezbollah ally, following discussions in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Speaker Berri and I had a very good discussion,” Hochstein noted. “We discussed the current security and political situation in Lebanon as well as the deal on the table right now with respect to Gaza, which also provides an opportunity to end the conflict across the Blue Line.”
US President Joe Biden recently proposed a truce aimed at leading to “the end of the conflict in Gaza.” Hochstein indicated that a ceasefire or diplomatic solution in Gaza could also end the conflict across the Blue Line, allowing displaced civilians to return to southern Lebanon and northern Israel.
Hezbollah claimed several attacks on Israeli troops and positions on Tuesday, coinciding with Hochstein’s visit. Lebanon’s National News Agency reported Israeli strikes in the country’s south, targeting a car and a motorbike. Sirens were heard multiple times in various locations across Israel’s north on Tuesday afternoon.
Since October 8, Hezbollah has conducted over 2,100 military operations against Israel, according to the group. The violence has resulted in at least 473 deaths in Lebanon, mostly civilians. Israeli authorities report the deaths of at least 15 soldiers and 11 civilians in the country’s north.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati called for an end to Israeli aggression and a return to calm on the southern border. “What is required is to stop the ongoing Israeli aggression against Lebanon and return to calm and stability on the southern border,” Mikati said in a statement from his office. He also highlighted that “continued Israeli threats” would not deter Lebanon from seeking peace.
