Israel’s Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, said Tuesday in a message addressed to both Hezbollah and the Lebanese government, that Tel Aviv is prepared to strike "every meter" of the country.
"Do not make a mistake, we do not want war, but we are ready to defend our citizens, our soldiers, and our sovereignty," the minister said. "We will not hesitate to employ all of our power and to attack every meter of Hezbollah and of Lebanon … and return Lebanon to the stone age," he added.
Gallant said that Hezbollah "might mistakenly think that they can test Israel" due to the deep internal crisis it is facing, and the vow made by many of its army reservists to boycott military service protests against the government’s judicial reform program.
He affirmed, however, that Israel would not be divided in the event that Hezbollah threatened it with war. Gallant’s threats came just hours after the Lebanese army mobilized its naval forces in response to Israeli boats that violated Lebanese sovereignty on Tuesday.
Al-Mayadeen news outlet observed the Israeli boats entering Lebanon’s territorial waters via a camera located in the Naqoura area while the Lebanese army was escorting a tour of dozens of journalists to the southern borders.
Recently, there has been a series of Lebanese responses to ongoing Israeli violations of the country’s sovereignty. These violations include excavations on Lebanon’s side of the border, which serve as the basis for an Israeli plan to build a defensive wall.
Most recently, in early July, Israel annexed the northernmost part of the already occupied southern border village of Ghajar – which is internationally recognized Lebanese territory. The move drew widespread condemnation and has exacerbated the existing tensions on the border.
As a result of constant Israeli incursions, the Lebanese and Israeli militaries came close to facing off on the border last month. The tensions also relate to an outpost erected by Hezbollah earlier this year in the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms area – which has been under occupation since 1967.
Despite Israeli threats, complaints to the UN, and pressure from Washington, the Hezbollah outpost remains in place. Last week, Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said that there is a "weakening in the policy of self-restraint" by Hezbollah on the border.
