Israel has warned it could send Lebanon "back to the Stone Age" as it prepares to transfer thousands of troops from war-torn Gaza to its northern border - with fears growing of a war with Hezbollah.
During a visit to Washington to meet US officials, defence minister Yoav Gallant said Israel was keen to avoid another war with the Lebanon-based, Iran-backed Hezbollah – after weeks of trading fire with increasing frequency – but added that it was within the country’s power to destroy its neighbour if it needed to. “We don’t want to get into a war, because it’s not good for Israel,” Mr Gallant said. “We have the ability to take Lebanon back to the Stone Age, but we don’t want to do it.”
His comments came just two days after Benny Gantz – the former Israeli army chief who, until his resignation earlier this month, was one of three members of the war cabinet that was convened to oversee the war in Gaza – made a similar threat. “We can plunge Lebanon completely into the dark, and take apart Hezbollah’s power in days,” Mr Gantz said on Tuesday during a conference in Herzliya, a city just north of Tel Aviv.
This story is from the June 28, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the June 28, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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