Israel’s Netanyahu Warns Lebanon’s Hezbollah As It Joins War Against Israel
By Worthy News’ George Whitten and Stefan J. Bos
JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Lebanon’s Hezbollah group that Israel’s enemies will suffer “unimaginable costs” after its leader said Lebanon had joined a coalition seeking the destruction of the Jewish nation.
“Don’t wrong us,” Netanyahu said, warning that joining a war against Israel would have devastating consequences.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who spoke for the first time since Hamas fighters killed 1,400 Israelis on October 7, claimed that “Lebanon” joined on October 8 in attacks against Israel.
He thanked groups in Yemen and Iraq for participating in the battles against Israel. Nasrallah said they are all part of the “Axis of Resistance,” an informal anti-Israeli and anti-Western political and military alliance led by Iran.
It includes Shi’ite Muslim Iraqi militias, which have been firing at U.S. forces in Syria and Iraq, and Yemen’s Houthis.
Israel has intercepted a missile and drones fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in recent days, as well as rockets fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon.
Nasrallah warned on Friday that a broader conflict in the Middle East was “a realistic possibility.”
MASSIVE FORCE
He suggested that Hezbollah, a massive military force backed by Iran that he claims consists of more than 100,000 units, comprising active fighters and reservists, could wage war. It already has been engaging Israeli forces along the Lebanon-Israel border in the deadliest escalation since fighting with Israel in 2006.
“In our front, all options are open,” warned in televised remarks. “All the options are open to us, and we studied all the options. We must be ready and be ready for all the options that could happen in the future.”
He said the “October 7 operation” by Hamas led to an “earthquake” in Israel and that it exposed the country’s weakness.
He insisted that the first goal was to stop “aggression” against Gaza, and the second goal would be to ensure the victory of Hamas, which seeks to exterminate Jews and Israel.
Nasrallah insisted that countries end trade with Israel and that Arab and Muslim countries cease sending oil to the United States.
Previous U.S. President Donald J. Trump said the U.S. could be energy independent and criticized the current Biden administration for depending too much on foreign fossil fuels.
He also insisted that there should be a collective effort to open the Rafah Crossing, which connects Gaza to Egypt, which Cairo fears could lead to an influx of Hamas fighters.
“BROTHERS FROM HAMAS”
Nasrallah stressed that the “brothers from Hamas” had planned the October 7 attack alone, and they did not warn their allies.
Despite the secrecy, he celebrated the killings of more than a thousand Jews and others, as well as the kidnapping of more than 200 men, women, and children.
He denied reports that Hamas fighters had beheaded and otherwise mutilated babies and toddlers despite mounting evidence to the contrary.
Nasrallah said “the Al-Aqsa flood,” as he called the terror attacks, had exposed Israel’s weakness.
However, Netanyahu said in a reaction that Israel would fight back. He rejected calls for “humanitarian pauses” in the fighting in Gaza.
That was a political setback for U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who visited Israel and requested a temporary ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid into the territory.
Netanyahu has made clear that Israel won’t stop its declared war against Hamas till “the terrorist organization has been destroyed.”
The Hamas-run health ministry said more than 9,000 people have been killed since Israel launched its attacks following the atrocities on Saturday, October 7, now known as Black Sabbath in Israel.
TWO-STATE SOLUTION?
However, Blinken tried to argue Friday that the goal of the war cannot only be to defeat Hamas but also to create a “brighter future” that includes a two-state solution.
“This is not just about dealing with Hamas in terms of defeating it physically. It is about making sure that it can’t repeat what it did on October 7,” he told media in Israel.
“It is also about defeating an idea — a perverted idea… that we have to combat with a better idea… with a better vision for what that future can be and demonstrating that we’re committed to achieving [it],” Blinken added.
He says the two-state vision of a Palestinian state and Israel can “give people something to hope for” and that there is “a broad and strong coalition throughout the region” that supports it.
“Israel cannot resume control and responsibility for Gaza, and Israel has made clear that it has no intention of doing that,” he said. He pledged a discussion “with our partners in our region and beyond” on “what will happen once Hamas is defeated.”
This will be as part “of a bigger picture on how to achieve lasting peace in the region,” he said.
But with mounting antisemitism reported across the world and Israel facing attacks from groups in multiple countries, doubts remained Friday as to if and when that long-term two-state solution would become a reality.
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