Security cabinet convenes as Israel warns Hezbollah of ‘destruction’ if it attacks

The security cabinet convened Thursday night in Tel Aviv, as the country continued to brace for a potential attack by the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon.

The cabinet met in the underground command room of the Kirya military headquarters, Hebrew media reported, the first time such a meeting has been held there since the night of April 13-14, when Iran launched some 300 missiles and drones at Israel, almost all of which were intercepted.

The meeting was taking place in “the pit,” as the underground command room is known, but not due to immediate security concerns, but rather in order to drill for a potential emergency situation, Channel 12 news reported, as Israel was preparing for a promised attack by Iran and its terror proxies to several recent high-profile assassinations.

According to Channel 13, the Israeli assessment on Thursday was that Hezbollah would try to target a senior Israeli official in retaliation for the Israeli killing of commander Fuad Shukr on July 30, which came after a Hezbollah rocket attack killed twelve children in the Golan Heights days earlier.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant issued an unusual missive to the Lebanese people, warning in Arabic that Israel will fight Hezbollah “with all its might” if the group continues to escalate tensions.

“The State of Israel wants peace, prosperity and stability on both sides of the northern border and therefore will in no way allow the Hezbollah militia to destabilize the border and the region. If Hezbollah continues its aggression, Israel will fight it with all its might,” Gallant wrote.

“Remember [Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah’s regret for the dangerous and uncalculated adventure of August 2006,” he said, referring to the Second Lebanon War, a 34-day conflict that erupted when Hezbollah operatives captured two Israeli soldiers and killed others.

“Those who play with fire should expect destruction,” Gallant said.

Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav also referred to the Second Lebanon War on Thursday, noting to public broadcaster Kan that Hezbollah’s arsenal is significantly more advanced than it was 18 years ago: “They are very precise missiles, and they are expected to fire 4,000 missiles at us each day,” Yahav said.

“That’s what we’re preparing [our citizens] for. In any case, we’re asking them to prepare enough food, enough water, because we’re expecting they’ll have to stay there [in shelters and safe areas] for four to six days” if Hezbollah attacks, he added.

At an assessment at the IDF Home Front Command, Gallant said Israel was working to provide an adequate warning of any expected attack, but advised citizens to go on with their lives as usual in the absence of special directions.

“The public’s resilience allows us to make the right operational decisions. In the face of the enemy’s attempt to sow fear, we must continue with normal daily life,” he said in remarks provided by his office.

Israel has been bracing for an attack since the military assassinated Shukr last week, hours before Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of the Hamas terror group, was also killed in a blast in Tehran, for which Israel has neither claimed nor denied responsibility.

Iran, which supports both Hezbollah and Hamas, vowed to retaliate for the assassinations.

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that the United States has warned Iran that its government and economy could suffer a devastating blow if it carries out a major attack against Israel, delivering the message directly to Tehran as well as through intermediaries.

“The United States has sent clear messaging to Iran that the risk of a major escalation if they do a significant retaliatory attack against Israel is extremely high,” said an unnamed US official quoted in the report.

Tehran has been told “that there is a serious risk of consequences for Iran’s economy and the stability of its newly elected government if it goes down that path,” the official added.

The warning was not meant to communicate that the US would attack Iran directly, the Journal reported, citing American officials, but rather to warn Iran of the risks of provoking a military response from Israel.

The Islamic Republic has reportedly hesitated on whether to launch an attack, but on Wednesday, CNN reported that Israeli officials assessed Hezbollah may attack Israel in the coming days, independent of Iran itself.

Israel has conveyed to both Hezbollah and Iran that any harm to civilians in Israel would cross a red line and lead to a disproportionate response, according to Channel 12.

The same network reported Thursday that Israel has prepared not only to counter rockets and missiles, but also to prevent any cross-border penetration by land or sea.

Hezbollah began its near-daily attacks on Israeli communities and military posts along the border on October 8 of last year, a day after the Hamas terror group’s attack on southern Israel, in which some 3,000 terrorists invaded the country from the Gaza Strip, tearing through the border fence, killing some 1,200 people, and taking 251 hostages, starting the ongoing war.

According to Channel 12, Israel’s defense establishment has prepared Israel to respond to an attack with “highly significant action” wherever is needed— “not only in Lebanon.”

Amid the heightened tension, the United States has increased its military presence in the region, sending additional fighter jets and Navy warships to the Middle East to counter threats by Iran and its proxies, alongside an intense diplomatic effort to de-escalate the situation.

The United States Central Command announced Thursday that US Air Force F-22 fighter jets had arrived at its area of responsibility, “as part of US force posture changes in the region and to address threats posed by Iran and Iranian-backed groups.”

CENTCOM chief Gen. Michael Kurilla made his second visit to Israel in less than a week on Thursday, several outlets reported.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield, the IDF said Thursday that its fighter jets had attacked and destroyed several Hezbollah “terror infrastructure” sites in southern Lebanon overnight, publishing footage of the strikes.

Israeli fighter jets and drones also carried out several strikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday, hitting a cell of operatives, a rocket launcher, buildings used by Hezbollah and other infrastructure in Kafr Kila, Yarine, Rachaf, at-Tiri and Houla, the military said.

Hezbollah confirmed the death of a member killed in an Israeli strike, bringing the terror group’s toll since October 8 to 401. In Lebanon, another 70 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier and dozens of civilians have been killed.

Hezbollah also fired several barrages of rockets from Lebanon into Israel on Thursday, firing some 15 rockets at the Western Galilee Thursday afternoon, all of which struck open areas near Kibbutz Kabri, with no injuries reported.

Shortly thereafter, Hezbollah fired another 8 rockets from Lebanon, targeting the same area. The rockets fell in open areas near the northern community of Shlomi, according to the IDF.

Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.

So far, the skirmishes have resulted in 25 civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of 18 IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.