The security cabinet convened Thursday night in Tel Aviv, as the country continued to brace for a potential attack by the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon.
The cabinet met in the underground command room of the Kirya military headquarters, Hebrew media reported, the first time such a meeting has been held there since the night of April 13-14, when Iran launched some 300 missiles and drones at Israel, almost all of which were intercepted.
The meeting was taking place in “the pit,” as the underground command room is known, but not due to immediate security concerns, but rather in order to drill for a potential emergency situation, Channel 12 news reported, as Israel was preparing for a promised attack by Iran and its terror proxies to several recent high-profile assassinations.
According to Channel 13, the Israeli assessment on Thursday was that Hezbollah would try to target a senior Israeli official in retaliation for the Israeli killing of commander Fuad Shukr on July 30, which came after a Hezbollah rocket attack killed twelve children in the Golan Heights days earlier.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant issued an unusual missive to the Lebanese people, warning in Arabic that Israel will fight Hezbollah “with all its might” if the group continues to escalate tensions.
“The State of Israel wants peace, prosperity and stability on both sides of the northern border and therefore will in no way allow the Hezbollah militia to destabilize the border and the region. If Hezbollah continues its aggression, Israel will fight it with all its might,” Gallant wrote.
“Remember [Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah’s regret for the dangerous and uncalculated adventure of August 2006,” he said, referring to the Second Lebanon War, a 34-day conflict that erupted when Hezbollah operatives captured two Israeli soldiers and killed others.
“Those who play with fire should expect destruction,” Gallant said.
Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav also referred to the Second Lebanon War on Thursday, noting to public broadcaster Kan that Hezbollah’s arsenal is significantly more advanced than it was 18 years ago: “They are very precise missiles, and they are expected to fire 4,000 missiles at us each day,” Yahav said.
“That’s what we’re preparing [our citizens] for. In any case, we’re asking them to prepare enough food, enough water, because we’re expecting they’ll have to stay there [in shelters and safe areas] for four to six days” if Hezbollah attacks, he added.
At an assessment at the IDF Home Front Command, Gallant said Israel was working to provide an adequate warning of any expected attack, but advised citizens to go on with their lives as usual in the absence of special directions.
“The public’s resilience allows us to make the right operational decisions. In the face of the enemy’s attempt to sow fear, we must continue with normal daily life,” he said in remarks provided by his office.
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