Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned Iran and Hezbollah on Sunday not to retaliate against Israel after the Lebanese militia said it attacked an Israeli training base with drones.
“Anyone who harms us in a way that has never been done before is likely to be harmed in a way that has never been done before,” Gallant said, adding that Israel is fighting for its existence in a hostile environment.
Israel is preparing for an attack after the killings within days of two prominent Israeli opponents in recent weeks: a Hezbollah commander in Beirut and the political leader of the Palestinian militant organization Hamas, Ismail Haniyehin Tehran.
“I hope they think about this and that it doesn’t get to the point where we’re forced to do significant damage, increasing the likelihood of war breaking out on other fronts,” Gallant said.
“We don’t want that, but we have to be prepared,” he added.
Meanwhile, two people have been killed in a suspected Israeli attack in Lebanon, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.
They are said to be members of Hezbollah, Lebanese security sources said. The incident is said to have taken place in the border town of Taybeh.
The Israeli military announced that it had attacked Hezbollah members in the area.
Israeli forces reportedly attacked further targets of pro-Iranian militias in the neighboring country. At the same time, numerous shells from Lebanon reportedly landed on Israeli territory.
There are no immediate reports of injuries.
Earlier, Hezbollah said it had deployed “swarms of attack drones on the Mahava Alon base” in northern Israel on Saturday night, “carrying out a direct hit and causing casualties.”
The attack was in response to Israel’s killing of Hamas member Samer al-Haj last Friday in the Lebanese port city of Sidon.
Hezbollah also said it had attacked a group of Israeli soldiers near the border.
The Israeli military confirmed that drones flew over Israeli territory from Lebanon. One was intercepted and others crashed, causing damage but no injuries, the military said.
A large-scale bombardment by Hezbollah on Israel has been expected for days, possibly in coordination with an attack by Iran.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has vowed revenge after the targeted killing of Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut on July 30. The killing of Haniyeh in the Iranian capital followed on August 1, prompting leaders in Tehran to also vow revenge on Israel.
Iran and Hamas blame Israel for both attacks. Israel claimed responsibility for the attack on Shukr but has not commented on the allegations over Haniyeh’s death.
