Gallant warns Nasrallah: Lebanon will pay the price for reality you've created
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has warned that Hezbollah, with its incessant attacks on Israel, was pulling Lebanon into a “harsh reality” that would take its toll on the country’s residents.
During a visit to the Israeli army’s Northern Command, Gallant also presented photos and alleged details about senior Hezbollah commanders that Israel has killed during eight months of cross-border clashes since October 8.
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan “Nasrallah is dragging Lebanon into a harsh reality,” Gallant said. “The ones who will pay the price are the residents of Lebanon and Hezbollah forces,” he added.
The minister went on to taunt Nasrallah over Hezbollah’s denial that Israel was killing its senior commanders amid the border clashes.
Standing in front of a large poster featuring what he said were nine Hezbollah commanders, Gallant identified each one by name and their alleged role within the Iran-backed group.
The nine Hezbollah officers had a rank equivalent to “brigadier general” in conventional armies, according to a statement from the Israeli defense ministry.
“I ask him – all these people aren’t yours?” Gallant said.
“There are over 320 dead terrorists including senior terrorists. If you continue we will escalate,” Gallant warned Nasrallah.
Last month Hezbollah denied Gallant’s claim that Israeli forces had killed half of the group’s commanders in southern Lebanon, saying only a handful were slain.
Hezbollah has been exchanging near-daily fire with the Israeli army since the day after its Palestinian ally Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7. Hezbollah says it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.
Hezbollah has named 322 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. In Lebanon, another 62 operatives from other groups, a Lebanese soldier, and dozens of civilians have been killed.
Israel has threatened to go to war against Hezbollah to restore security to the north of Israel, where tens of thousands of civilians are currently displaced.
