Israel warned that “another war” could break out in the region after the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah attacked an Israeli airbase and the Jewish state’s army killed one of the terror group’s top commanders.
Colonel Herzi Halevi, Israel’s army chief of staff, said over the weekend that the Israel Defense Forces are increasing its pressure on Hezbollah, a key ally of the Palestinian terror group Hamas, which is fighting Israel in Gaza after an October 7 attack. .
Halevi said Israel must either be effective in stopping Hezbollah’s continued rocket attacks on its northern border “or we will face another war.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu added, “I suggest that Hezbollah learn what Hamas has learned in recent months: No terrorist is immune.
“We are determined to defend our people and return northerners to their homes safely,” he told his cabinet.
The chilling comments came as Israeli forces killed Wissam Hassan al-Tawil, the deputy head of a unit in Hezbollah’s Radwan force, in an airstrike on Monday. The IDF has said Radwan is trying to infiltrate northern Israel.
Al-Tawil died along with another Hezbollah fighter when their Honda SUV was hit, the terror group confirmed, saying the leader died “on the way to Jerusalem” – a phrase used for its fighters killed by Israeli forces.
An Israeli airstrike yesterday killed Hizbullah’s senior commander Wissam al-Tawil. AP
Lebanese security forces called the attack an “extremely painful attack” that would lead to “attacks.”
But the IDF said its fighter jets only targeted Hezbollah infrastructure after the terror group fired about 40 rockets into Israel and attacked its air traffic control base on Mount Meron, forcing thousands of Israelis in the north to evacuate.
An Israeli airbase suffered some damage in the attack, but no one was killed.
After the attack, Netanyahu told IDF reservists that the country was ready to go to war with Hezbollah if necessary.
“Of course, we would prefer this to be done without an extensive campaign, but that will not stop us,” he said, according to the Times of Israel.
“We give them an example of what happened 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 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 its fighter jets only targeted Hezbollah infrastructure when it killed a terrorist commander in Lebanon.
Hezbollah officials said on Monday that the attack on the airbase was an “initial response” to an airstrike in Beirut last week that killed deputy political leader Saleh al-Arouri.
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s secretary general, warned Israel in two televised speeches not to launch a full-scale war on Lebanon after al-Arouri’s death.
“Whoever thinks about war with us – in a word, he will regret it,” Nasrallah said mockingly.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati also declared that Israel “intends to draw Lebanon” further into the war.
Nasser Kanaani, a representative for Iran’s foreign ministry – which supports both Hamas and Hezbollah in their fight against Israel – said al-Arouri’s death “will certainly spark a wave of resistance and motivation to fight against the Zionist occupiers. — not only in Palestine, but also in this region and among all freedom seekers around the world.”
Tensions have risen along the Israel-Lebanon border in recent days, as Israel accuses Hezbollah of trying to infiltrate the northern part of the Jewish state. AFP via Getty Images
The terror group began firing rockets into Israel shortly after Hamas launched an Oct. 7 attack on the Jewish state, with Hezbollah saying it was aimed at easing Israeli military pressure on Gaza.
In an effort to prevent an all-out war between Israel and Lebanon, President Biden has sent several of his top aides to the Middle East.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to arrive Monday in Israel, where he will meet with top government officials on Tuesday to discuss specific measures to “avoid escalation,” according to the Washington Post.
“It is not in anyone’s interest – not Israel, not the region, not the world – for this conflict to spread beyond Gaza,” Blinken spokesman Matthew Miller said Sunday.
Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah began firing rockets shortly after Hamas launched its Oct. 7 attack on Israel. AFP via Getty Images
Biden has also sent special envoy Amos Hochstein to try to broker an agreement between Israel and Lebanon to begin land demarcation negotiations that will determine where and when both sides can deploy troops.
US and French officials are also reportedly in talks with the Lebanese government to control part of the Lebanese-Israeli border instead of Hezbollah, which currently controls the area.
US officials admit Hezbollah is unlikely to agree to the deal.
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
