Israel has dealt Hezbollah blows it could not have imagined: Netanyahu

Jerusalem, Sep 23 (IANS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that his country landed “a series of blows” on Hezbollah in recent days that the group “could not have imagined.”

In a video statement released by his office on Sunday, Netanyahu warned, “If Hezbollah hasn’t understood the message, I promise you — it will understand the message.”

He emphasized Israel’s commitment to restoring security in the north, declaring, “We are determined to return our northern residents safely to their homes … We will do whatever it takes to restore security.”

Overnight, Hezbollah expanded its rocket attacks, targeting areas near Haifa, including the headquarters of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Israel’s state-owned defence technology company, and a military airport in Ramat David base, both located in northern Israel, Xinhua news agency reported.

Amid the sharp escalation, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant affirmed that the military, in response, would continue its offensive.

Gallant, speaking during his visit to an Air Force control centre on Sunday morning, said Hezbollah “has begun to feel some of our capabilities,” referencing weekend airstrikes in Beirut that killed at least 37 people, including Ibrahim Akil, acting commander of Hezbollah’s Elite Radwan Force.

Israel is also believed to be behind a series of attacks earlier this week, which saw thousands of wireless communication devices explode across Lebanon, killing at least 37, including civilians, and injuring thousands.

In addition, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz released a statement saying he had spoken with “dozens” of foreign ministers, sending a clear message: if the international community does not pressure Hezbollah to withdraw its forces north of the Litani River in southern Lebanon, “Israel will do so.”

Katz added that the withdrawal of Hezbollah forces is “essential” to create a security zone, allowing Israeli residents near the border with Lebanon to return to their homes.

The Israeli military announced Sunday in a statement that it is continuing airstrikes in Lebanon and has bombed 400 Hezbollah sites since Saturday. According to Lebanese military sources, at least three people were killed and four others injured on Sunday in intense Israeli airstrikes.

Amid fears that the cross-border fighting, which began in October last year, will escalate to an all-out war in the Middle East, United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert warned of an “imminent catastrophe” in the region.

“With the region on the brink of an imminent catastrophe, it cannot be overstated enough: there is NO military solution that will make either side safer,” she wrote on the social media platform X.

–IANS

int/sha