JERUSALEM, July 15 (NNN-MA’AN) – Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, threatened to deal a “crushing blow” to Lebanon, a day after the Lebanese-based militia’s leader said it is capable of destroying Israel.
“If Hezbollah dares to do some foolish thing and attack Israel, we will strike a crushing military blow on Lebanon and Hezbollah,” Netanyahu told his weekly cabinet meeting, according to a statement released by his office.
His remarks referred to a speech by Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, in which he said that the Shiite group is capable of destroying Israel, if the latter dares to attack Lebanon.
In a speech to mark the 13th anniversary of the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, Nasrallah said, Hezbollah’s power has significantly increased since the 34-day war ended.
He said that Hezbollah has compiled a map of some 1,000 strategic sites in Israel that striking them could “inflict tremendous damage” to Israel.
The war, fought mostly on Lebanon’s land, ended with a fragile truce.
Israel and Hezbollah have not had another war since then, but Israel has occasionally carried out air strikes in Syria, claiming they target weapons convoys to the Iran-backed militia.
Hezbollah fighters have been fighting and training along with Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad’s forces in Syria.– NNN-MA’AN
