Israel's Gantz Issues Direct Threat against Hizbullah after Drone Incursion

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz has accused Iran of "undermining" Lebanon’s "governance" through Hizbullah, as he issued a direct threat against the Tehran-backed group.

“Just this week, in Israel we saw a number of Hizbullah attempts to violate Israel’s sovereignty. In this context, I have a clear message for Hizbullah: Their operatives are familiar with the noise made by our aircraft engines, and with their capabilities. If we are required to respond and to attack in order to defend ourselves, we will do so and we will cause great damage to the terror organization and its surroundings,” Gantz said in remarks at the Munich Security Conference.

“The state of Lebanon will, unfortunately, have to be held responsible,” he added.

“We will not hesitate to act anytime and anywhere necessary for the security of the State of Israel,” Gantz stressed.

His remarks come a few days after the Israeli military said it fired interceptor missiles and protectively scrambled warplanes after Hizbullah sent a drone deep into Israel and managed to return it unscathed to Lebanon, drawing Israeli mock raids over the country including its capital Beirut.

Hizbullah said its drone toured the targeted area for 40 minutes on a "reconnaissance mission that extended along seventy kilometers" inside the occupied territories.

Minutes after the Hizbullah announcement, Israeli fighter jet flying at very low altitude buzzed the Lebanese capital Beirut and its suburbs, jolting residents, rattling windows and setting off some car alarms.

The incident came just a day after Israel shot down what it said was another drone, allegedly from Hizbullah.

The Israeli military said in its statement that the incursion set off air raid sirens in northern Israel, and that Iron Dome interceptors were deployed and fighter jets were patrolling the skies.

Israel and Hizbullah are bitter enemies that fought a monthlong war in 2006 that ended in a stalemate. Israel considers the Iranian-backed Hizbullah to be its greatest immediate threat, possessing an estimated 150,000 rockets and missiles capable of striking anywhere in Israel.

Israel has long expressed concerns that Hizbullah would obtain or develop guided missiles and attack drones.

Last week, Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said his group has been manufacturing military drones in Lebanon, and has the technology to turn thousands of missiles in its possession into precision-guided munitions.