Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Hezbollah not to initiate a third Lebanon war with Israel, hours after the Iranian proxy group guided missile attack killed a 60-year-old Israeli man in northern Israel.
“If Hezbollah chooses to start an all-out war, then it will single-handedly turn Beirut and South Lebanon, not far from here, into Gaza and Khan Yunis. We are determined to bring victory, and we will do it with your help,” Netanyahu said.
He spoke during a visit to the IDF’s Northern Command Headquarters together with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi and the head of that sector Maj.-Gen. Ori Gordin.
Netanyahu and Gordin then visited an artillery battery in the Upper Galilee, where they spoke with soldiers who have been serving on the northern border.
"I am here with reservists who are showing great spirit in their readiness for battle, to complete the job, to restore security, not only in the south but also in the north. This is our commitment,” Netanyahu stated.
"Determined to achieve victory"
“We are determined to achieve victory and we will do so with your help,” he told the soldiers.
He visited the north as diplomatic efforts continued to contain the violent cross-border incidents to ensure they did not ignite an all-out war, which would see Israel fighting on two fronts.
The IDF has been engaged in a military campaign to oust Hamas from Gaza, following the terror group’s infiltration of southern Israel on October 7, in which it killed over 1,200 people and seized another 250 hostages.
Israel immediately evacuated the northern community after October 7 to ensure that Hezbollah did not carry out a similar attack against Israelis in the north.