Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a strong warning on Thursday, stating that Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem would face an "extraordinarily heavy price" for intensifying attacks on Israel during the ongoing Jewish holidays.
In a video message, Katz directly addressed Qassem, declaring, "You and your associates will pay an extraordinarily heavy price for the intensified rocket fire directed at Israeli citizens as they gathered to celebrate Passover Seder." He further stated that Qassem would be "consigned to the depths of hell alongside Nasrallah, Khamenei, Sinwar and the other fallen figures of the axis of evil," referencing past Israeli assassinations of leaders from Hezbollah, Iran, and Hamas.
Katz asserted that the entire Hezbollah organization and its supporters in Lebanon would "bear the full and severe consequences." This warning follows claims made by Hezbollah that it had launched a series of rockets towards northern Israel late Wednesday and early Thursday, coinciding with the commencement of the Passover celebrations.
The Defense Minister also reaffirmed Israel's strategic objectives, stating that Israeli forces "will clear Hezbollah and its supporters from southern Lebanon, maintain Israeli security control throughout the Litani area, and dismantle Hezbollah’s military capabilities across Lebanon."
Lebanon became involved in the wider regional conflict in early March. According to reports, the Tehran-backed Hezbollah initiated rocket attacks against Israel in retaliation for an attack that resulted in the death of Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. Israel has responded with significant airstrikes across Lebanon and has also launched a ground offensive.
Comments (0)
You must be logged in to comment.
Be the first to comment on this article!