By Times of Israel—
Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Sunday morning issued a tacit threat that Israel would be forced to wreak destruction in Lebanon if the Hezbollah terror group goes through with its stated plan to attack the Jewish state in retaliation for an alleged Israeli drone strike last week on its Beirut stronghold.
In a televised speech Saturday, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said the group’s response had been “decided.” It is about “establishing the rules of engagement and… the logic of protection for the country,” he said, adding that Israel “must pay a price” for the assault.
Nasrallah’s comments came in a speech to supporters Saturday night, a week after an alleged Israeli drone crashed on the roof of Hezbollah’s media office in southern Beirut, while another exploded and crashed nearby.
A separate strike around the same time on Iran-linked targets in Syria, which Israel took responsibility for, was said by Jerusalem to have thwarted an Iranian drone attack on Israel.
“Nasrallah is an Iranian puppet, who has taken upon himself the portfolio of the planned Iranian attack from Syria, which it is doubtful he knew about, and is peddling stories to the Lebanese people about defending Lebanon,” Katz said on Twitter, in a message posted in Arabic as well.
“If he continues down this path, he will be remembered as the destroyer of Lebanon,” he added.
Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz also responded to the Hezbollah chief, saying in a statement Saturday night: “Nasrallah, have mercy on Lebanon and don’t cause the IDF to return it to the Stone Age. The State of Lebanon will be held responsible for any terror attack committed from its territory.” Continue Reading….