Israeli Air Force 'holding its power' for Hezbollah, Gallant warns

"Yehya Sinwar made a mistake and sealed Hamas's fate, as well as the fate of the Gaza Strip. If Nasrallah makes a mistake, he will seal Lebanon's," Gallant warned from the North.

 Defense Minister Yoav Gallant speaks with Israeli soldiers at a staging area not far from the Israeli-Gaza border, October 19, 2023 (photo credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant speaks with Israeli soldiers at a staging area not far from the Israeli-Gaza border, October 19, 2023
(photo credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Hassan Nasrallah will seal Lebanon's fate if he decides to launch a larger offensive on Israel, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned Saturday in a visit to the IDF's 146th Division, operating in the North.

Following a situational assessment with OC Northern Command Uri Gordin, Gallant sent a message to Hezbollah's secretary-general, assuring that the Israeli Air Force is "holding its power for the Lebanese sector, for Hezbollah.

"Yehya Sinwar made a mistake and sealed Hamas's fate, as well as the fate of the Gaza Strip. If Nasrallah makes a mistake, he will seal Lebanon's," Gallant warned from the North.

During his visit, Gallant was given an assessment of recent Israeli defense operations throughout the northern theater and in Israeli border towns carried out on Saturday. These include the killing of terror cells along with a Hezbollah observation post operating from southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military said that the strikes were in response to Hezbollah's recent attempt to fire from Lebanon into Israel.

IDF jets strike an armed Hezbollah terrorist as he attempts to fire towards Israel, November 3, 2023 (IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

'We are on the defensive in the North'

The reservist force at Division 146 is full of "resolute and determined commanders who know the task at hand and are willing to achieve victory on the battlefield," the defense minister added.

"We are on the defensive in the North but are attacking with full force in the Gaza Strip. This is our priority."

On Friday, Nasrallah spoke for the first time since October 7, warning Israel that preventing a regional war depended on stopping attacks on Gaza, and there was a realistic possibility of fighting on the Lebanese front turning into a "wide war."

Hezbollah would pay an unimaginable price for attacking Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned in retaliation.