Israeli defense minister warns Hezbollah is close to ‘grave mistake’ after intense skirmishes on the weekend
Israel’s Defense Minister Gallant reiterated his warnings against the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah during a tour of Israel’s northern border on Saturday after an intense weekend of fighting saw five IDF soldiers seriously injured.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah head Hassan Nasrallah again held an incendiary speech to his supporters on Saturday, claiming that the last week “saw an improvement in operations” by his group.
“I have come here in order to conduct a situation assessment in light of Hezbollah’s aggression - it’s no longer just provocations,” Gallant emphasized.
Gaza’s citizens are fleeing south under white flags, Gallant said. “If [Hezbollah] will make such mistakes here, the first to pay the price will be the citizens [because of Hezbollah]. What we can do in Gaza, we can also do in Beirut.”
“We haven’t even used ten percent of the Israeli Air Force's power in Gaza,” he added.
The almost daily routine of Hezbollah provocations and IDF retaliations that began almost immediately after the Hamas assault against Israel on October 7, saw a worrying escalation this weekend.
On Friday, three Israeli soldiers were seriously wounded by an anti-tank missile fired from southern Lebanon at an IDF position near Manara.
Two other soldiers were seriously and moderately wounded, respectively, when a Hezbollah suicide drone explosion hit an IDF base.
Lebanese media reported that the Israeli army retaliated by carrying out its deepest attack inside Lebanon so far on Saturday, striking a truck in the village of al-Zahrani, just south of Sidon on the Lebanese coast, with a drone.
The IDF only confirmed that it had carried out a strike against the source of missiles fired at Israeli drones, without giving an exact location.
In addition, the IDF said it carried out airstrikes against several Hezbollah targets and responded with tank and artillery fire each time Hezbollah forces opened fire.
Throughout Saturday, numerous anti-tank missiles, rockets, and grenades were fired at Israeli targets from Lebanon.
In the morning, a rocket with a heavy payload exploded near Margaliot, while three aerial targets, probably drones, were intercepted near Kabri.
The use of heavier rockets and suicide drones represents a serious escalation of Hezbollah’s attacks compared to its preferred weapons systems so far, a fact that Hezbollah leader Nasrallah bragged about in his speech on Saturday.
“Last week saw an improvement in operations, both quantitively and qualitatively. For instance, we deployed the Burkan missile carrying a payload between 300 kilograms and 500 kilograms. Imagine half a ton of explosives falling on the enemy’s head,” Nasrallah said.
The daily clashes between Israel and Hezbollah terrorists so far claimed the lives of six Israeli soldiers and two civilians.
Over 70 Hezbollah members were killed by Israeli strikes, in addition to eight Palestinian terrorists, at least one Reuters journalist, and several civilians.
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