Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Wednesday warned that Hezbollah could launch a more significant attack against Israel than Iran.
Speaking to IDF troops at a military drill in the north, meant to simulate war with Hezbollah, Gallant said Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah may cause the Lebanese state to "pay heavy prices."
"As things stand, Nasrallah may drag Lebanon into paying extremely heavy prices. They can't even imagine what might happen," Gallant told troops of the 646th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade.
The defense minister said that a miscalculation by Hezbollah could lead to war.
"This may also deteriorate into a war. It's not theoretical, it's real," Gallant told the soldiers.
According to a report by CNN, Hezbollah could strike Israel independently of Iran in the coming days.
The report says that the terror group "is moving faster than Iran in its planning" and is expected to attack Israel in a matter of days.
Previously, both U.S. and Israeli officials had expected that Iran and Hezbollah could coordinate their attacks for maximum impact. However, now officials believe that Iran is moving more cautiously, as it attempts to avoid action that could lead to a full-scale war.
Analysts believe that Hezbollah is feeling increasing urgency to attack in a major way, as Israel has been consistently eliminating high-level and mid-level officers. The group is likely feeling pressure to respond in a show of force to demonstrate their continued capabilities.
Hezbollah has been threatening to retaliate since the killing of Fuad Shukr in Beirut last week. In a speech at the funeral of Shukr, Nasrallah said the war against Israel had entered a new phase.
Saying that Israel "does not know where the retaliation will come from," he also threatened that Israelis who celebrated Shukr's death would soon cry.
"You will laugh a little and cry a lot, as you do not know which redlines you have crossed," Nasrallah warned.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi on Wednesday said that Israel is on high alert as it awaits a response by Hezbollah and Iran.
"We will be able to launch a swift attack anywhere in Lebanon, anywhere in Gaza, anywhere in the Middle East, above ground and below ground," Halevi said to Israeli Air Force personnel at Tel Nof airbase. "We will send a very clear message to our enemies, those who attack us, those who in every speech talk about how they seek to destroy the State of Israel. We will strike them, and we will continue to grow stronger."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for Israeli citizens to remain calm despite the threats from Iran and Hezbollah.
"We are continuing forward to victory. I know that Israeli citizens are on alert, and I ask you one thing — stay calm and composed," Netanyahu said while speaking to new recruits at the Tel Hashomer recruitment base. "We are prepared for both defense and offense, we are striking our enemies and are also determined to defend ourselves."
Republished with permission from All Israel News