Israel Issues Warning of Intensified Attacks if Ceasefire with Hezbollah Fails
Click to start listening
Jerusalem, Dec 4 (NationPress) Israel has issued a caution that it will broaden its military actions to include targets associated with the Lebanese state if the tenuous truce with Hezbollah fails.
The alert on Tuesday came after Hezbollah fired two mortars at a contested zone along the borders of Lebanon, Syria, and Israel on Monday, alleging that Israel had repeatedly violated the ceasefire. In retaliation, Israel conducted airstrikes on more than 20 locations across Lebanon, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
In a meeting with military leaders at the northern border, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that any violation of the truce would lead to a "maximum response and zero tolerance."
"If we are drawn back into conflict, we will operate with increased intensity, penetrate deeper, and most crucially, there will be no exemption for the state of Lebanon," Katz proclaimed.
During a cabinet session in the northern Israeli city of Nahariya, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated the warning, emphasizing that Israel could recommence full-scale conflict should the ceasefire fail.
"We are presently in a ceasefire, I stress -- a ceasefire, not the conclusion of the war," Netanyahu noted. "We are enforcing this ceasefire with an iron fist, responding to every violation -- whether minor or severe. We are dedicated to maintaining the ceasefire, but we will not accept any breaches from the opposing side."
The ceasefire, which took effect on November 27, was intended to halt the lethal cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, which ignited on October 8, 2023.
