Israel warns Hezbollah of ‘unimaginable force’ if it attacks
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Iran’s terror proxy Hezbollah against making ‘the mistake of its life’ and inviting an ‘unimaginable’ response by launching a separate attack.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Iran’s terror proxy Hezbollah against making “the mistake of its life” and inviting an “unimaginable” response by launching a separate attack against Israel during its war on Hamas in Gaza.
His comments came as fast-escalating rocket fire between Hezbollah and Israeli forces on Israel’s northern border fuelled fears that the conflict could soon become a region-wide war.
It also followed a warning by Iran’s Foreign Minister that the region would go “out of control” if Israel did not stop its missile attacks on Gaza.
“I warn the US and its proxy Israel that if they do not immediately stop the crime against humanity and genocide in Gaza, anything is possible at any moment and the region will go out of control,” Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said.
The US is leading an urgent joint push for greater emergency humanitarian aid into Gaza where more than two million people are suffering critical shortages of water, food, medicine and fuel, each of which was cut off by Israel after the October 7 terror attacks by Hamas.
US President Joe Biden and Mr Netanyahu agreed in a call that “there will now be continued flow of … critical assistance into Gaza,” the White House said. The US humanitarian push follows growing international condemnation of Israel’s bombing of the territory that has left more than 4000 people dead ahead of an expected ground offensive into Gaza by Israel.
Tensions across the region continue to soar ahead of the attack, with Israel launching more airstrikes on Gaza amid clashes between Palestinians and security forces in the West Bank, and exchanges of rocket fire with Hezbollah in the north.
Israel also apologised to Egypt after one of its tanks accidentally fired at an Egyptian border post near the Kerem Shalom crossing.
Israel continued to evacuate towns near its northern border with Lebanon as exchanges of cross-border fire escalated. During a visit to meet soldiers near the border, Mr Netanyahu said: “I cannot tell you right now if Hezbollah will decide to fully enter the war. (But) if Hezbollah decides to enter the war … it will be making the mistake of its life. We will strike them with unimaginable force, with devastating consequences for it and for Lebanon.”
It comes as the US has reportedly pressured Israel to delay its ground offensive to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza and maximise the chance for more hostages to be released.
But Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant foreshadowed a long and conclusive battle when Israeli troops finally did enter Gaza.
“(It) may take a month, two, or three, but in the end, Hamas will no longer exist,” he said. “Hamas will no longer be.”
Mr Biden has stepped up joint efforts to get more humanitarian aid into Gaza after an extra 14 aid trucks entered Gaza on top of the 20 previously allowed in.
The President spoke with the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany and Italy, with the White House stating that “the leaders reiterated their support for Israel and its right to defend itself against terrorism and called for adherence to international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said wanted a “sustained delivery of food, medicine, water” but added that such efforts shouldn’t interfere with Israel’s war efforts.
Aid groups say there needs to be a dramatic increase in emergency aid to Gaza where food, water, fuel and medicine are almost exhausted, causing immense suffering across the territory.
“(the aid trucks were) another small glimmer of hope for the millions of people in dire need of humanitarian aid,” UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said. “But they need more, much more.”
The US has said the goods delivered so far were equivalent to just 4 per cent of Gaza’s daily imports before the war and that Gaza needed at least 100 trucks a day to meet its needs.
The trucks allowed into Gaza so far did not contain fuel because Israel said it fears Hamas would steal the fuel to use to power its rockets and transport for terrorists in the besieged enclave.
At least 77 Australians are still trapped in Gaza with no foreign nationals so far permitted to leave.
As tensions escalate, the US says it expects attacks on US forces in the region to increase.
“We expect that there’s a likelihood of escalation, escalation by Iranian proxies directed against our forces, directed against our personnel,” Mr Blinken said.
The US, which has already sent two aircraft carrier battlegrounds to the Middle East, will send more air defence systems to the region in preparation for any possible expansion of the conflict.
“What we’re seeing is a prospect of a significant escalation of attacks on our troops and our people throughout the region,” US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said.
Gaza’s health ministry said at least 4651 people had been killed in the territory since the war began, a figure disputed by Israel.
Meanwhile, Canada and France have joined the US and Israel in stating their independent investigations found the deadly blast at a hospital in Gaza was caused by an misfired rocket from within Gaza rather than from the Israeli military.
Despite this, Arab nations in the region have blamed Israel for the blast, fuelling large demonstrations against Israel.
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