The Zionist regime made a terrible threat, namely that it would wipe out Iran and Lebanon from the face of the Earth if the Hezbollah group involved itself in the war between Israel and Hamas. This threat was conveyed by Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat in an interview with British media last week.
On October 7, Hamas, which rules Gaza, Palestine, launched a surprise "Operation al-Aqsa Storm" offensive against Israel. The Israeli military then launched its heaviest air attack on Gaza to date. As of Sunday, more than 1,400 people had been killed in Israel.
Meanwhile, the death toll in Gaza has exceeded 4,000 people. Barkat warned that Israel would view Hezbollah's escalating actions as an attack by Iran.
“Iran's plan is to attack Israel on all fronts. "If we find they intend to target Israel, we will not only retaliate on those lines, but we will attack the head of the snake, which is Iran," he told Mail Online.
"We will make sure they pay a heavy price if, God forbid, they open the northern front," continued Barkat, as reported by Newsweek, Monday (23/10/2023).
“Lebanon and Hezbollah will suffer huge consequences, similar to what Hamas had to pay. But that's not enough," he said.
"The very clear message is that we will also go after Iran's leaders. When will we do that? [It's] up to us when we decide."
"Israel has a very clear message to our enemies. We tell them, look what happened in Gaza - you will get the same treatment if you attack us. We will wipe you off the face of the Earth," added Barkat's threat.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country was at war with Hamas and had cut off supplies of food, fuel, electricity and medicine to Gaza. On Saturday, Israel allowed some aid into Gaza via Egypt.
Israel has called up 360,000 reserve troops to prepare for a ground assault on the Palestinian enclave home to around 2.3 million people. Hezbollah has launched artillery fire almost every day across the border with Israel since the Israel-Hamas war broke out last October 7.
The barrage of artillery fire continued on Sunday, with both sides opening fire across the border. Although Lebanon's leaders say they do not want to get involved in the war, Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, has significant power and political support in the country. The US State Department previously told Newsweek that Hezbollah and other groups should not be involved in the Israel-Hamas war.
“Any decision by Hezbollah or other actors to drag Lebanon into this conflict will have a devastating impact on the Lebanese people. They deserve better,” the department said through a spokesperson.
“No one wants a second or third front, including when it comes to Lebanon,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken added on Sunday in an interview with NBC's Meet the Press.
“We've sent a very strong message to try to deter Hezbollah, deter Iran more directly.”
Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib warned Israel that they would also suffer if the war escalated. He said that the situation could get "out of control", indicating that the Lebanese government would not be able to prevent attacks by Hezbollah and other groups if hostilities in Gaza were not ended soon.
“The damage will be worse for them [Israel] and also for us,” he said in an interview with CNN, urging Israel to declare a ceasefire in Gaza. "Their country will not be safe. All these resistance forces have lots of weapons and they will use them," he explained.
On Saturday last week, Hezbollah's deputy chairman, Naim Qassem, said that his group was ready to face Israel directly on the battlefield.
"If necessary, we will be present on the battlefield and be part of the confrontation in an effort to prevent an Israeli attack," he said.
"Make it clear that whenever developments require our intervention, we will do so...Let the enemy know that we are fully prepared."
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Jonathan Conricus, an Israeli military spokesman, said on Sunday that Hezbollah was dragging Lebanon into a war that had achieved nothing. "But there will be big losses," he said.