Hezbollah: 'Israel Will See Events Not Seen Since 1948'

HEZBOLLAH CHIEF THREATENS ISRAEL WITH ‘EVENTS NOT SEEN SINCE 1948’

JNS 

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah declared on Tuesday that if “war erupts, Israelis will see events they haven’t witnessed since 1948.”

The leader of the Lebanon-based terrorist group and Iran proxy issued this threat during a speech broadcast while the Israeli Air Force was carrying out a four-day drill in the north of the country. Dubbed “Galilee Rose,” the exercise, which began on Sunday, simulated multiple scenarios involving war with Hezbollah and Iranian troops in Syria.

“We are not seeking a confrontation or war, although certainly, we won’t forget the blood of our martyrs,” added Nasrallah. “But should a confrontation take place, we will engage in it. I warn that even the game of ‘a few days of fighting’ will be a dangerous game for the Israelis and would lead them to undesirable consequences.”

A day earlier, on Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz warned that Israel would “not hesitate to act” to defend itself against Iran or its proxies near Israel’s northern border.

“The IDF operates on the border to this day and will continue to do so,” he said, during a memorial ceremony honoring the 73 soldiers killed in the 1997 helicopter disaster.

“We will not hesitate to undermine Iran’s efforts to entrench itself near our borders, and Nasrallah is well aware that his decision to build munition and missile bunkers and to perfect Hezbollah’s [missile] capabilities endangers him and the Lebanese people,” said Gantz. “The Lebanese government should also know this and assume responsibility for it.”

Gantz: Ground in Lebanon will shake in future war with Israel

 UDI SHAHAM 

If Israel has to fight with Hezbollah, “the ground in Lebanon will tremble, and the terrorist organization will be severely hit,” Defense Minister Benny Gantz said on Thursday.

“Even now, in spite of the fact that Israel has the strongest armed forces in the Middle East,” there are still elements that are threatening the country with “days of battle,” Gantz said in a speech commemorating soldiers whose burial place is unknown. “And if there will be days of battle on the different fronts, it will be difficult for the Israeli home front, but it would be considerably more difficult for our enemies.

“This is true in particular of Hezbollah and Hamas, both of whom are violating international law by developing offensive capacity for operation within civilian populations,” he said.

“Facing that type of threat, the IDF is prepared to use whatever force necessary. Hezbollah would take a serious hit, and Lebanon would feel it.”

Gantz’s comments come as the IDF intelligence assessed in its annual prediction of 2021 that Hezbollah is deterred and will not drag Israel into a war, but it will try to initiate “days of battle” in which the combat is limited.

According to this assessment, Hezbollah is exercising its idea of “the equation,” whereby it must avenge the killing of its members even if it takes months or years.

Earlier this week, the Israel Air Force conducted a surprise drill in which the entire force practiced a response to an attack on an Israeli fighter jet. During the drill, the Air Force practiced an attack against some 3,000 Lebanese targets, such as bridges, power plants, and airports – all in just 24 hours.