Iran warned Israel on Sunday that any new military “adventures” in Lebanon could lead to “unforeseen consequences,” as Israel vowed a harsh response to a rocket attack by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terror group that killed 12 children in the Druze town of Majdal Shams a day earlier.
“Any ignorant action of the Zionist regime can lead to the broadening of the scope of instability, insecurity and war in the region,” said Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani, adding that Israel would be responsible for “the unforeseen consequences and reactions to such stupid behavior.”
The Israel Defense Forces struck a series of Hezbollah targets overnight Saturday, including weapon depots and other infrastructure near Tyre and across southern Lebanon.
In addition to Hezbollah, Iran supports the Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip, which has been at war with Israel since its cross-border assault on October 7, when thousands of terrorists killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.
Iran also supports the Houthi rebels in Yemen, as well as militias in Iraq and Syria, all of which have targeted Israel and its allies since the war’s start.
Israeli leaders from across the political spectrum called for a swift and harsh response against Hezbollah after an Iranian-made Falaq-1 rocket struck a soccer field Saturday in the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, killing 12 children and wounding dozens more.
Israel is “approaching the moment of an all-out war against Hezbollah and Lebanon,” said Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Saturday, declaring that Hezbollah “crossed all red lines” in the strike, and pledging that the terror group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah would be destroyed and that Lebanon would be severely damaged.
He said the Foreign Ministry is preparing for an international campaign “to obtain support and legitimacy for Israeli action in Lebanon and to point the finger directly at Iran.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he cut short his trip in the US following the attack in Majdal Shams and was expected back in Israel early Sunday afternoon, a few hours before the decision-making security cabinet is set to convene at Israel’s military headquarters in Tel Aviv.
Netanyahu told Sheikh Muafak Tarif, the spiritual leader of Israel’s Druze community, on Saturday that “Israel will not allow the murderous attack to simply go by, and that Hezbollah will pay a heavy price for this that it has not paid until this point,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.
In the immediate aftermath of the attack, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was briefed by top military and security officials on Israel’s options “for action against Hezbollah,” in a meeting attended by Halevi and the heads of the Shin Bet and Mossad.
No comments:
Post a Comment