Gantz: Ground in Lebanon will shake in future war with Israel
“Facing that type of threat, the IDF is prepared to use whatever force necessary. Hezbollah would take a serious hit, and Lebanon would feel it.”
By UDI SHAHAMAlternate Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Benny Gantz seen during a visit on the Israel-Lebanon border, Northern Israel, on November 17, 2020.(photo credit: DAVID COHEN/FLASH 90)
If Israel has to fight with Hezbollah, “the ground in Lebanon will tremble, and the terrorist organization will be severely hit,” Defense Minister Benny Gantz said on Thursday.“Even now, in spite of the fact that Israel has the strongest armed forces in the Middle East,” there are still elements that are threatening the country with “days of battle,” Gantz said in a speech commemorating soldiers whose burial place is unknown. “And if there will be days of battle on the different fronts, it will be difficult for the Israeli home front, but it would be considerably more difficult for our enemies.“This is true in particular of Hezbollah and Hamas, both of whom are violating international law by developing offensive capacity for operation within civilian populations,” he said.“Facing that type of threat, the IDF is prepared to use whatever force necessary. Hezbollah would take a serious hit, and Lebanon would feel it.”Gantz’s comments come as the IDF intelligence assessed in its annual prediction of 2021 that Hezbollah is deterred and will not drag Israel into a war, but it will try to initiate “days of battle” in which the combat is limited.According to this assessment, Hezbollah is exercising its idea of “the equation,” whereby it must avenge the killing of its members even if it takes months or years.Earlier this week, the Israel Air Force conducted a surprise drill in which the entire force practiced a response to an attack on an Israeli fighter jet. During the drill, the Air Force practiced an attack against some 3,000 Lebanese targets, such as bridges, power plants, and airports – all in just 24 hours.On Tuesday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah responded to the news of the drill saying: “Israel’s home front needs to know that if there is a war with Hezbollah, it will see things it has not seen since the establishment of the State.“If the IDF bombs our military targets, we can also attack Israel’s military targets. If Israel bombs cities in Lebanon, we’ll bomb cities in Israel, and if it bombs villages in Lebanon, we’ll bomb Israeli settlements,” Nasrallah said. “No one can guarantee that a few days of combat won’t lead to a wider war.”In his speech on Thursday, Gantz also mentioned the efforts that Israel is making to return captive citizens and soldiers who are being held by the enemy.
“We will not stop acting, and we won’t lose hope to get them back,” Gantz said. “We haven’t stopped working to bring back home Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, may they rest in peace. I feel a sense of personal responsibility toward them, having sent them into battle. Until that happens, Gaza will not be able to develop.“Israel is cultivating relationships with many Arab states, and we are working to mobilize them as well to this humanitarian effort. I, the defense establishment, and our whole diplomatic establishment are working alongside Egypt and other countries to bring our boys back. We will keep turning over every stone to locate every casualty, wherever they may be,” Gantz said.The defense minister also mentioned Israel’s effort to return the citizens held in captivity by Hamas, Avera Mengistu and Hisham Hisham al-Sayed.
