Middle East Monitor / July 11, 2024
Israel is capable of “inflicting a devastating blow on Lebanon, which would take 30 years to recover from,” warned far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich yesterday.
Calling for a wide-scale war against Hezbollah and occupying areas in southern Lebanon, Smotrich said: “We must not leave Gaza even if it takes another 100 years, until the last hostage is returned home, dead or alive.”
Calling for the occupation army to “operationally control the Gaza Strip for many years,” he explained that this is not achieved “without [Jewish] civilian settlement in the Gaza Strip.”
Regarding the situation in the north, Smotrich said, “The Israeli army, following a rapid and violent course, can achieve very significant achievements and neutralize most of Hezbollah’s capabilities.”
He claimed that the Israeli army could do this “in a short war, not a long war like in Gaza, by inflicting a devastating blow on Lebanon, which would take 30 years to recover from.”
The extremist minister continued, “Israel must wage a war in the north and establish a security fence on the Lebanese side of the border.”
On Wednesday, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said that his fighters would cease fire “without discussion” if an agreement was reached in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.
He pointed out that “if the Israelis decide to attack southern Lebanon after the ceasefire in Gaza, we will defend Lebanon and will not tolerate the occupation.”
Nasrallah called on his fighters and supporters to “remain prepared for the worst possibilities, even if we hope for the opposite of this.”
Hezbollah has exchanged almost daily attacks with Israeli occupation forces since Tel Aviv launched its genocidal bombing campaign in Gaza.
In recent weeks, the escalation between Tel Aviv and Hezbollah has increased, raising fears of the outbreak of an all-out war, especially with the Israeli army announcing a week ago that it had approved operational plans for a massive attack on Lebanon.
