Despite the United States warning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone call between the two leaders on Wednesday, Israel vowed to retaliate against Iran’s missile attack on its territory last week.
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Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant warned that Israeli retaliation for last week’s missile attack on Iranian territory would be “deadly.”
In a speech to the Israeli military, Gallant said the attack would catch Iran by surprise, but gave no details about the scale of the alleged planned attack.
“They’re not going to understand what happened or how it happened,” Gallant said.
Iran fired about 200 missiles at Israel last week after Israel stepped up airstrikes across Lebanon, killing several senior commanders of the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah, including leader Hassan Nasrallah. did.
The comments confirm that Israel has no intention of slowing down its military operations against Hezbollah, whose Israel Defense Forces (IDF) attacked the Lebanese capital Beirut and launched a “limited” ground invasion into southern Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to retaliate for the Iranian attack. However, it did not say when or how this would happen, as the spiraling conflict in the Middle East continues to intensify.
US President Joe Biden has told Prime Minister Netanyahu that Iran’s nuclear program and facilities related to the oil sector could be destroyed, fearing that the ripple effect on the global oil market could push up prices and influence the upcoming Democratic elections. He called on Iran to avoid an attack. campaign.
The two leaders spoke by phone Wednesday for the first time in seven weeks, and Vice President Kamala Harris also joined the conversation.
Mr. Netanyahu’s office said Mr. Biden reiterated his support for Israel despite repeated attempts to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and said Mr. He is reported to have congratulated him on his successful strategy.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly ignored calls from Mr Biden for a ceasefire, including a pause in fighting.
Since the last phone call between the two leaders at the end of August, Netanyahu has stepped up his attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon.
On Thursday, footage was circulated by the Associated Press showing a group of soldiers raising an Israeli flag in a village in southern Lebanon as five emergency workers were killed in an IDF attack, according to a civil defense spokesman.
The IDF continues to bombard Gaza as it expands operations in Lebanon. Dozens of people were killed in Wednesday’s attacks in central and northern Gaza, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, which does not distinguish between militants and civilians, as the death toll from the year-long conflict rises to more than 42,000.
Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said the Israeli military continues to operate in the Gaza Strip to prevent Hamas from reassembling.
